TL;DR
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In a randomized trial of 187 adults with obesity, adding an eight-hour eating window to supervised exercise led to greater short-term weight and body-fat loss than standard care. The strategies did not produce a statistically significant greater reduction in liver fat, and the group differences in weight and body composition were no longer detectable one year later.
A 12-week randomized trial of 187 adults with obesity found that combining an eight-hour daily eating window with supervised exercise led to greater short-term weight and body-fat loss than standard care. The study, published in Nature Communications, did not find a statistically significant greater reduction in liver fat from the interventions, and weight and body-composition differences were no longer detectable one year later.
The TEMPUS trial assigned participants, about half of them women, to standard care, intermittent fasting, supervised exercise, or both. All four groups received education on the Mediterranean diet and physical activity. Participants in the fasting groups ate within an eight-hour window each day; those in exercise groups followed supervised sessions combining strength training and high-intensity aerobic exercise.
Weight loss in both fasting groups averaged about 2.2 kilograms more than in the standard-care group. The combined fasting-and-exercise group also lost more body fat than the standard-care and exercise-only groups. Both exercise groups improved cardiorespiratory fitness, a measure of cardiovascular health.
Liver fat, measured by MRI, fell across all four groups, but the researchers found no statistically significant differences between standard care and the interventions, or among the three intervention groups. At one-year follow-up, the study found no group differences in liver-fat change, and the weight and body-composition differences recorded at the end of the program were no longer detectable.
Short-Term Gains Did Not Persist
The findings suggest that time-restricted eating may add to short-term weight loss when paired with supervised exercise, while exercise itself was linked to improved cardiorespiratory fitness. For readers weighing these approaches, the trial also shows why outcomes should be separated: a change in body weight or fitness does not necessarily mean a larger reduction in liver fat.
The follow-up results put the initial changes in perspective. The trial did not detect lasting differences between groups one year after the program ended, pointing to an unanswered practical issue: how to maintain benefits over time. The study tested a defined 12-week program; it does not establish that the same results would occur with unsupervised routines or persist without continued support.
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How the TEMPUS Trial Was Run
The study was led by the PROFITH research group at the University of Granada’s Joint University Institute for Sport and Health, with collaborating biomedical and clinical research organizations in Granada. The work was part of the TEMPUS project and was published in 2026 in Nature Communications.
Researchers set out to assess whether time-restricted eating, supervised exercise, or their combination could improve liver fat and cardiovascular health beyond standard care. The comparison matters because liver fat was the primary focus, even though the clearest reported differences were in weight and body fat. All groups received diet and activity education, so the results compare added strategies against a shared standard-care program rather than against no guidance.
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Liver Fat and Sex Findings
Although liver fat decreased in every group, the trial did not establish that fasting or exercise reduced it more than standard care overall. A subgroup analysis found that among men, the combined program was associated with a greater liver-fat reduction than standard care; the same difference was not observed among women. The authors cautioned that these analyses do not establish a sex-specific effect.
Among participants who had fatty liver at the start, about 30% in the combined group no longer met the study’s diagnostic criteria, compared with 6.5% in standard care. That comparison is a subgroup result and does not change the overall finding of no statistically significant difference in liver-fat reduction between groups. The source report does not provide enough detail here to assess the precision of that subgroup estimate. It is also unclear what strategies would preserve the short-term weight and body-composition changes after the program ends.
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Longer Follow-Up Is Needed
The researchers said further work should examine longer interventions, particularly for people with high liver-fat levels, and test approaches that help participants maintain changes. The one-year follow-up already showed that the short-term weight and body-composition differences were no longer detectable, underscoring the need to study what happens after structured support ends.
The published trial does not establish whether a longer or continued program would sustain weight loss or change liver-fat outcomes. No further study dates or specific next trial plans were provided in the source report.
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Key Questions
What did the trial find about intermittent fasting and exercise?
In the 12-week trial, participants combining an eight-hour eating window with supervised exercise had greater short-term weight and body-fat loss than those receiving standard care. The result does not show that every person will have the same response.
Did the combined program reduce liver fat more than standard care?
Not significantly in the overall trial comparison. Liver fat fell in all four groups, but researchers did not find statistically significant differences between the interventions and standard care.
Did the weight differences last?
At one-year follow-up, differences in weight and body composition seen at the end of the 12-week program were no longer detectable between groups.
Did the findings differ for men and women?
A subgroup analysis found a greater liver-fat reduction with the combined program than standard care among men, but not among women. The researchers said the analysis alone does not show that the intervention works differently by sex.
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