How to know if a study is generalizable to you - 10h Time-restricted Eating

Key takeaways on evaluating whether results from clinical research are generalizable to you

• Table 1 will help you understand if the research was done on a target population that is similar to you. Look at the characteristics of participants in the study—age, race, gender, health conditions, etc

• Pay attention to any adverse events reported in the study which will help you assess overall safety levels. This may be enough if you are healthy and not on any medications and don’t have unique energy requirements like during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, but it is always best to discuss any changes you are considering with your doctor.

• Adherence to the intervention—were people able to stick to it? Think about your own current lifestyle and whether or not you’d be able to add something in and continue doing it.

• Get details on the intervention in the study design section. Studies may use abbreviations and general terms like Intermittent Fasting (IF). Make sure you understand the actual fasting protocol that is being studied.

Paper: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9536325/