Early Time-Restricted Eating in Young Judo Athletes

This study investigates the effects of a 5-month early time-restricted eating (e-TRE) intervention on body composition, muscle damage biomarkers, and psychological variables in highly trained young male judo athletes. One hundred participants were randomly assigned to either an e-TRE group or a control group. The e-TRE group followed a 16:8 fasting protocol (07:00-15:00 eating window) while maintaining their usual training program, whereas the control group maintained habitual dietary patterns. Outcomes included changes in body composition (BMI, body fat, skeletal muscle mass), muscle damage biomarkers (CK, LDH, ASAT, ALAT, uric acid, CRP, total bilirubin), and psychological measures (cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and self-confidence assessed using CSAI-2). Measurements were taken at baseline and after the intervention period. The aim of the study is to determine whether e-TRE can improve physiological recovery and psychological readiness in combat sport athletes without negatively affecting performance-related variables.