Prolonged nightly fasting plus telehealth coaching showed feasibility in men with prostate cancer on androgen deprivation therapy.
This pilot feasibility randomized controlled trial enrolled 40 men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer at a medical center in Philadelphia. Participants were randomized to receive either a prolonged nightly fasting plus telehealth coaching intervention (PNF+) or healthy eating text messages. The study followed participants for 3 months to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and secondary outcomes including BMI, body weight, and quality of life scores.
Adherence to health coaching was reported in 82% of participants (27 participants), while adherence to the PNF window was 69%. At the 3-month follow-up, the PNF+ group had a numerically lower BMI of 29.1 compared to 31.6 in the control group, and a numerically lower body weight of 195.2 lbs compared to 223.3 lbs. However, these differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Quality of life measures, including FACIT-F scores, increased in both groups from 43.6 to 45.2 in the PNF+ group and 42.5 to 45.5 in the control group. FACT-P scores increased in the PNF+ group from 121.3 to 125.5, whereas they decreased slightly in the control group from 121.1 to 119.8; no statistically significant differences were observed between groups for these outcomes.
No adverse events were reported associated with the intervention, and tolerability was highly acceptable. Discontinuations were not reported. Key limitations include the small sample size and the pilot nature of the study, which preclude definitive conclusions regarding efficacy. No statistically significant differences between groups were found, and partial feasibility was observed. These findings should be interpreted cautiously and require confirmation in larger, adequately powered trials.