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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05256888

Time-Restricted Eating to Address Persistent Cancer-Related Fatigue

This study will assess the feasibility of delivering a 12-week time-restricted eating intervention as well as the intervention's preliminary efficacy on persistent cancer-related fatigue among cancer survivors compared to a general health education control. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to one of two arms: time-restricted eating or control. Those in the intervention arm will self-select a 10-hour eating window in which to consume all food and beverages (water is allowed any time, black coffee and unsweetened tea are allowed in the morning). Both groups will receive weekly educational tips on healthy lifestyle behaviors in cancer survivorship. This study will also explore relationships between fatigue, circadian rhythm, and glucose metabolism.

The hypothesis is that recruitment will be feasible, and participants will adhere to time-restricted eating and complete study activities over the course of the 12 weeks. The second hypothesis is that time-restricted eating will lead to less fatigue at 12 weeks compared to the control, accounting for baseline fatigue levels.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Maryland, Baltimore

Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Have completed adjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, and/or radiation for cancer, including chemotherapy for hematologic neoplasms, at least 2 months and not more than 2 years prior to enrolling,
  • Have a baseline level of fatigue, as determined by reporting a score of 4 or higher for the question, "In the last week, how bad was your worst fatigue on a scale from 0-10?"
  • Be able to speak and/or read and write in English,
  • Be at least 18 years old,
  • Own a smartphone,
  • Be willing and able to adhere to study procedures, including use of a smartphone app, and
  • Be able to provide informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

  • Already eat all their food within a window that is 10 h or shorter most (6/7) days of the week,
  • Be underweight, as defined as a body mass index ≤18.5 kg/m2,
  • Have surgery planned during the study duration,
  • Have any contraindications to the proposed nutrition intervention as identified by their medical provider, their designee, or the study team (e.g., type 1 diabetes, risk for hypoglycemia, medication requirements, pregnancy, breastfeeding, recent history of an eating disorder),
  • Be taking insulin, or
  • Be on enteral or parenteral nutrition.

Treatment and study plan

Time-restricted eating

Behavioral

12 weeks of time-restricted eating (10-hour window)

Healthy Lifestyle Education

Behavioral

Weekly tips on healthy lifestyle behaviors (e.g., diet, exercise, sleep) for 12 weeks

Primary outcomes

  1. Feasibility, as Assessed by the Percentage of Participants Who Enrolled Completed the Study

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    To assess feasibility, the percentage of participants who provide evaluable data regarding their eating window at baseline and 12 weeks will be assessed.

  2. Fatigue, as Assessed Using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) Questionnaire

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    FACIT-F fatigue subscale scores will be compared for those in the time-restricted eating group vs. the control group at week 12, controlling for baseline levels. This questionnaire is 13-items long. The scale is from 0-52, and a higher score indicates less fatigue.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Maryland, Baltimore

Other

Collaborators

  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Registry information

Official study title

Time-Restricted Eating to Address Persistent Cancer-Related Fatigue: The Fatigue REDuction After Cancer (FREDA) Trial

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Feb 25, 2022
Registry last updated
Jul 20, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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