Beat the clock: early dinner may boost fat burning
NCT ID NCT05745441
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at whether eating dinner earlier in the evening, in sync with your body's internal clock, helps burn more fat and control blood sugar. Researchers will compare early versus late dinner in 32 adults—some healthy weight, some with obesity and prediabetes. Participants will stay in a lab to track their circadian rhythms and metabolism precisely.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- timing of dinner (early vs. late)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help explain why late eating harms metabolism and point toward simple timing-based dietary advice for weight and blood sugar control.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 32 participants, so results may not apply broadly. It measures short-term metabolic changes, not long-term weight loss or diabetes prevention.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 32 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2023
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 50 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
The investigators are enrolling both Normal-Weight Healthy (NWH) and Obesity-Prediabetes (OPD) research participants. Inclusion Criteria: * For the Normal-Weight Healthy (NWH) cohort: Healthy male and female adults, age 18-50, with BMI 18-24.9 kg/m2 inclusively * For the Obesity-Prediabetes (OPD) cohort: Male and female adults, age 18-50, with BMI ≥30 kg/m2 and prediabetes * All participants must be able to understand study procedures, to comply with the procedures for the entire length of the study and be fully mobile. Exclusion Criteria: * Sleep disorder including insomnia, untreated moderate-severe sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, or narcolepsy * Night shift work * Extreme delayed sleep phase defined as self-reported routine bedtime later than 1:00 AM or having mid-sleep on free days later than 5:00 AM on the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ) or DLMO later than 24:00 * Gastroesophageal reflux disease that affects ability to tolerate a dinner close to bedtime * Active smoking * Current drug or alcohol use or dependence that, in the opinion of the site investigator, would interfere with adherence to study requirements. * Diabetes (type 1 or 2) or on any diabetes medications besides metformin * Evidence of metabolic or cardiovascular disease, or disease that may influence metabolism (e.g. cancer, thyroid disease) * Hemoglobin A1c ≥5.7% for NWH cohort; Hemoglobin A1c ≥6.5% for OPD cohort * Hemoglobin \< 10 g/dL * Self-reported kidney disease * Any known history of an inherited metabolic disorder * Pregnant or lactating female (pregnancy test will be required prior to metabolic visits) * Peri-menopausal or post-menopausal female as determined by follicle stimulating hormone of \> 30 mIU/mL or fewer than 3 menstrual periods in 6 months * Professional or collegiate athlete * Participants who have travelled across time zones must have adequate time to recover from jet lag prior to enrollment (i.e., at least 3 days per time zone). Travel across \>1 time zone after enrollment in the study will not be permitted. * Weight less than 40 kg or more than 180 kg * Gastrointestinal disorders that can lead to obstruction of the digestive tract (i.e. diverticular disease, history of bowel obstruction, inflammatory bowel disease, motility disorder) * History of any surgical procedures in the gastrointestinal tract. * Swallowing disorders * Taking any prescription medication or other drug that may influence metabolism (e.g. diet/weight-loss medication, asthma medication, blood pressure medication, psychiatric medications, corticosteroids, or other medications at the discretion of the PI and/or study team) * Chronic use of sedative hypnotics, anxiolytics, opiates * Use of medications that can affect circadian rhythm (beta blockers, melatonin) * Presence of a cardiac pacemaker or other implanted electro-medical devices * Those who have to undergo strong electromagnetic field during the period of use of the ingestible thermosensor (i.e. MRI) * Weight loss or gain of ≥ 5% of total body weight over the preceding 3 months * Currently participating in a weight loss program * Prior bariatric surgery * Volunteers with strict dietary concerns (e.g. vegetarian or kosher diet, food allergies) * History of significant intravenous access issues * Non-English speaking individuals: The complexity of the instructions for various components of the study would make the study procedures difficult to follow in the setting of a language barrier. * Other conditions or situations at the discretion of the PI
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
RECRUITINGBaltimore, Maryland, 21224, United States
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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGBethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
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