A LACTO-VEGETARIAN diet combined with a 14-hour overnight fast could substantially improve blood glucose control in women with Type 2 diabetes, according to findings from a new randomised controlled trial.
The 24-week study found that women following the combined dietary and time-restricted eating programme achieved significantly lower HbA1c <a href="https://healthylife7.com/new-york-levels-up-funding-for-mental-health-clubhouses/” title=”New York levels up funding for mental health 'clubhouses'”>levels, alongside improvements in body weight, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular risk markers, compared with those receiving usual diabetes care.
Combined Approach Lowers HbA1c
Researchers enrolled 96 women aged 25–60 years with Type 2 diabetes in a multicentre, randomised, open-label trial in India. Participants were assigned either to usual diabetes care or to a structured lacto-vegetarian diet combined with 14 hour time-restricted eating.
The intervention diet emphasised whole grains and high-fibre foods alongside vegetables, fruits, pulses, and dairy products, while excluding meat, fish, poultry, and eggs. Participants consumed food within a 10 hour daily window and fasted for the remaining 14 hours, typically eating between 9am and 7pm or 10am and 8pm.
Of the 96 participants enrolled, 90 completed the 24-week study.
At the end of the trial, adjusted mean HbA1c was 6.53% among women in the intervention group, compared with 7.65% among those receiving usual care. This represented an adjusted between-group difference of 1.12 percentage points.
The intervention was also associated with significantly greater improvements in body weight, BMI, fasting and post-meal glucose, and lipid profiles.
Insulin Resistance Also Improves
Researchers observed a substantial improvement in insulin sensitivity among women following the intervention.
HOMA-IR, a measure used to estimate insulin resistance, was significantly lower in the intervention group after 24 weeks, with an adjusted between-group difference of 1.84.
Reported adverse effects were mild and temporary, while participants commonly reported perceived improvements in energy, mood, weight, and overall health.
The findings suggest that combining dietary changes with a relatively moderate period of overnight fasting may offer a manageable alternative to more restrictive intermittent fasting regimens.
A 14-hour fast leaves a 10-hour daily eating window, potentially making the approach easier to incorporate into everyday routines than strategies such as 16:8 fasting or eating only one meal per day.
Which Part of the Intervention Matters?
Despite the magnitude of the metabolic improvements, the study does not establish that time-restricted eating alone was responsible for the results.
Participants changed several aspects of their lifestyle simultaneously. Alongside fasting for 14 hours, they adopted a structured lacto-vegetarian diet focused on fibre and carbohydrate quality and received individualised meal plans, nutritional counselling, regular follow-up, and behavioural support.
The control group, meanwhile, continued usual diabetes care without an equivalent structured dietary intervention.
This means the effects of fasting cannot be separated from those of improved diet quality, portion control, changes in energy intake, or the additional nutritional support received by participants.
Future trials comparing diet alone, time-restricted eating alone, and the two approaches combined could help establish whether fasting provides metabolic benefits independently of dietary changes.
Promising Results Require Wider Study
The findings provide encouraging evidence for a structured lifestyle approach to Type 2 diabetes management, but the relatively small and specific study population limits how widely the results can currently be applied.
The trial included only women aged 25–60 years in India and excluded people using insulin. Further research will therefore be needed to determine whether similar improvements occur in men, older adults, people receiving insulin therapy, and more diverse populations.
The authors also noted that implementing the programme more widely would require consideration of staffing, cost, and scalability within clinical nutrition services.
Nevertheless, the substantial improvement in HbA1c suggests that a culturally adaptable vegetarian diet combined with a consistent overnight fasting period may offer a practical strategy for improving metabolic control in women with Type 2 diabetes.
Reference: Mahajan A 0et al. Effect of a lacto-vegetarian diet combined with 14-hour time-restricted eating on metabolic outcomes in women with Type 2 diabetes: a 24-week randomized controlled trial. Nutrition & Diabetes. 2026.
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