Date of Graduation

5-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Biological Sciences

Advisor/Mentor

Baum, Jamie

Committee Member/Reader

Beaulieu, Jeremy

Committee Member/Second Reader

Durdik, Jeannine

Committee Member/Third Reader

Davidson, Fiona

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing chronic diseases in the country, comprising 10% of the American population. Obesity rates are at an all-time high and greatly increase risk factors for developing diabetes. Insulin resistance is the main feature of type 2 diabetes and causes management of the disease to be extremely difficult. Currently there are different possible treatments for type 2 diabetes including medication and dieting. However, diets involving fasting, though high in popularity, do not have a lot of evidence regarding their ability to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

Time restricted feeding (TRF) is a daily fasting model in which eating only occurs in a specific 12-hour or less period, followed by a fasting period for the rest of the day. This model does not necessarily focus on calorie restriction or a change in the quality of food intake, but on the amount of time spent eating per day. Constant food ingestion is accompanied by worsened glucose tolerance and high insulin levels that lead to insulin resistance. A TRF model may be able to provide a feasible diet that people can incorporate into their daily lives to lower the risk of developing diabetes.

The current pharmacological approach for treating type 2 diabetes includes taking medications to keep insulin and glucose levels under control. Fasting has been hypothesized to improve insulin and glucose levels but has not yet been proven to reduce type 2 diabetes risk. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine if TRF improves markers of type 2 diabetes. This research will make a positive contribution to society by suggesting a feasible diet to add into a daily lifestyle to prevent developing one of the fastest growing chronic diseases in the country.

Keywords

fasting; diabetes; time restricted feeding; glucose; body composition; service learning

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