2-A-Day Study: Twice a Day Meals Study.

Caloric restriction increases lifespan and/or healthspan across multiple species. However implementation of long-term CR in humans is problematic and unacceptable to many individuals. As a result, intermittent fasting models have been developed to improve adherence. Such models have been shown to improve blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, decrease hepatic fat content and body weight. Investigators established an isocaloric twice-a-day (ITAD) feeding plan in mice, wherein test mice were acclimatized to consume over two hour periods (8-10am and 5-7pm), the same amount of food as ad-libitum mice. This intervention prevented obesity and age-associated type 2 diabetes via system-wide activation of autophagy. The investigators will perform further studies of the same feeding model in humans in a randomized crossover design. The objective is to test the hypothesis that restricting eating periods to twice a day (TAD), when compared to isocaloric ad lib meal timing (ALMT), will have beneficial effects on glucose metabolism, body composition, energy expenditure and autophagy in human subjects at risk for diabetes