Background: Time restricted feeding is a form of intermittent fasting where participants shorten the daily window in which they eat.
Aim: This is the first study to examine the effects of intermittent fasting on changes in the gut microbiome.
Methods: Adults with obesity (n = 14) participated in a daily 8-hour time restricted feeding intervention (8-hour feeding window/16-hour fasting window) for 12 weeks. Fecal microbiota were determined by 16 S rRNA (ribosomal ribonucleic acid) gene sequencing of stool samples.
Results: Body weight decreased (P < 0.05) by -2 ± 1 kg. Gut microbiota phylogenetic diversity remained unchanged. The two most common phyla were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes accounting for 61.2% and 26.9% of total abundance at baseline. No significant alterations in the abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, or any other phyla were detected after 12 weeks of time restricted feeding.
Conclusions: Time restricted feeding did not significantly alter the diversity or overall composition of the gut microbiome.
Keywords: Intermittent fasting; body weight; gut microbiota; microbiome; obesity; time restricted feeding; weight loss.