{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,26]],"date-time":"2026-10-26T23:32:37Z","timestamp":1793057557462,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790121600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Nutr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Time-restricted eating (TRE) has gained increasing attention as a dietary strategy for body mass management and metabolic health. However, its efficacy in athletic populations remains unclear. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the effects of TRE on energy intake, body composition, and performance in athletes.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Following PRISMA guidelines, the review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261291351). Six databases were searched from inception to January 10, 2026. Randomized controlled trials comparing TRE with non-TRE dietary patterns in adult athletes were included if they reported body composition or performance outcomes. Pooled effects were estimated as standardized mean differences (SMDs; Hedges\u2019 g) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using random-effects models. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2 and evidence certainty using GRADE.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Sixteen studies from 15 articles involving 245 athletes were included. TRE did not significantly alter energy intake (SMDpooled\u202f=\u202f\u22120.35, 95%CI: \u22120.77 to 0.07,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.11). Compared with non-TRE dietary patterns, TRE resulted in small but significant reductions in body mass (SMDpooled\u202f=\u202f\u22120.27, 95%CI: \u22120.50 to \u22120.04;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.02) and body fat% (SMDpooled\u202f=\u202f\u22120.39, 95%CI: \u22120.68 to \u22120.11,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.01), while fat mass (SMDpooled\u202f=\u202f\u22120.23, 95%CI: \u22120.48 to 0.02,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.07) and lean mass (SMDpooled\u202f=\u202f\u22120.16, 95%CI: \u22120.42 to 0.09,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.21) were unchanged. TRE had no significant effects on aerobic capacity (SMDpooled\u202f=\u202f0.04, 95%CI: \u22120.29 to 0.37,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.82), muscular endurance (SMDpooled\u202f=\u202f\u22120.20, 95%CI: \u22120.52 to 0.13,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.23), muscular strength (SMDpooled\u202f=\u202f0.01, 95%CI: \u22120.25 to 0.27,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.94), or power (SMDpooled\u202f=\u202f\u22120.12, 95%CI: \u22120.44 to 0.20,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.47). Subgroup analyses suggested potentially greater reductions in body mass and body fat% among elite athletes, although between-subgroup differences were not statistically significant. Certainty of evidence ranged from very low to moderate.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>TRE may represent a feasible dietary strategy for athletes seeking modest reductions in body mass and body fat% without clear detrimental effects on performance. However, evidence remains limited by small samples, short interventions, and methodological concerns, warranting larger, well-controlled, and longer-term trials across diverse athletic populations.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Systematic review registration<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>PROSPERO unique identifier CRD420261291351.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2026.1956159","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T16:34:25Z","timestamp":1790181265000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effects of time-restricted eating on body composition and performance in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Ruting","family":"Lin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Education, Beijing Sport University","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yubo","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Education, Beijing Sport University","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhenyu","family":"Shuai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Education Department, College of Basic Education, Beijing College of Finance and Commerce","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kaixiang","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Physical Education and Health Science, Chongqing Normal University","place":["Chongqing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wenqiang","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Strength Training and Conditioning, Beijing Sport 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