One-month early time-restricted eating mitigates brain aging and enhances memory in males with metabolic syndrome: an MRI structural study

Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has emerged as a global health concern challenges to human brain aging and memory function. While early time-restricted eating (eTRE) has been widely recognized as an effective dietary approach for improving metabolic regulation, its potential influence on brain aging and memory performance in individuals with MetS has not yet been fully elucidated. Methods Twenty three males with MetS were enrolled and underwent a 1-month eTRE intervention. Assessments included metabolic profiling, memory evaluation, and MRI scanning at both baseline and post-intervention. Brain age gap (BAG) was estimated using the brainageR package, after which voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was applied to identify gray matter regions whose structural changes contributed most to brain age alterations. Subsequently, correlation analyses were performed to examine the associations between these regional changes and memory function. Results After 1-month of eTRE, males with MetS showed a significant reduction in BAG difference ( p < 0.05), along with improvements in BMI, fasting glucose, and lipid profiles (All p < 0.05). Moreover, delayed recall and immediate recall scores demonstrated a significant increase (All p < 0.05). VBM identified gray matter volume increases in left hippocampus, left thalamus, left red nucleus, and left substantia nigra, with left thalamic gray matter volume changes significantly negative correlation with changes of immediate recall scores ( r = −0.512, p = 0.01). Conclusion The 1-month eTRE intervention improved metabolic health, reduced brain aging, and enhanced memory in males with MetS. These benefits were associated with structural changes in the brain, indicating that even a short-term eTRE intervention serve as an effective strategy to promote brain health in individuals with MetS.