Time-restricted feeding reduced blood pressure and improved cardiac structure and function by regulating both circulating and local renin-angiotensin systems in spontaneously hypertensive rat model.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether time-restricted feeding (TRF) can reduce blood pressure (BP) and improve cardiac structure and function in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) by regulating the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). METHODS: Wistar Kyoto rats and SHR underwent 16 weeks of TRF intervention, with daily feeding restricted to 9 am-5 pm. The effects of TRF on systolic BP, diastolic BP, mean BP, body weight (BW), heart weight (HW), HW/BW ratio, cardiac structure and function, and RAS activity in the circulating and left ventricular (LV) tissues were investigated. RESULTS: TRF effectively reduced systolic BP, mean BP, diastolic BP, and BW; improved hypertension-induced cardiac structural and functional damage; and inhibited the ACE-Ang-II-AT1 axis in circulating and LV tissues. CONCLUSION: TRF effectively inhibits RAS activity in both circulating and LV tissues, thereby lowering BP and mitigating structural and functional cardiac damage associated with hypertension.