Amie Hiller, professor of neurology at OHSU, said: “Weight loss is a major challenge for many people with Huntington’s disease, so asking them to eat within a limited time window seemed counterintuitive.
“What was exciting about this study is that participants were able to maintain their weight while showing signs that the intervention may be positively affecting the disease itself.”
She added: “We do not currently have any disease-modifying treatments for Huntington’s disease. If future studies confirm these findings, this could become an approach available to people regardless of where they live or their financial resources. That makes it particularly exciting.”
One participant Anna White, 52, from Portland, US, has continued fasting since the study ended and believes it has helped her maintain cognitive function.
“Many people have told me that, for a 52-year-old woman with as much movement as I have, I am still self-aware and sharp,” she said. “I try to finish The New York Times crossword puzzle every day, and I think the time-restricted eating has helped.”
The research team is pursuing funding for a larger, randomised clinical trial that would compare time-restricted eating with standard dietary habits to determine whether the apparent benefits are real and can be sustained in the long term.