Time restricted eating potentiates chemotherapy in obesity-driven breast cancer mouse models

Time-restricted eating (TRE) has emerged as a metabolic intervention with potential to improve cancer treatment responses. In this study, we investigated whether TRE enhances the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy in murine breast cancer models. Different chemotherapies, such as Letrozole, Tamoxifen, Doxorubicin, and Paclitaxel, were used in combination with TRE. Female obese mice were assigned to high-fat diet ad libitum feeding or an 8-hour TRE schedule. Mice bearing orthotopic breast tumors from ad libitum and TRE groups were treated with or without standard chemotherapeutic treatment to evaluate the TRE-Chemotherapy combination effect. The combination of TRE and chemotherapy (Doxorubicin and Paclitaxel) resulted in significantly reduced tumor growth compared with chemotherapy or TRE alone. TRE in combination with Letrozole demonstrated improved survival benefits over chemotherapy or TRE alone. These findings suggest that aligning feeding patterns with circadian rhythms can potentiate chemotherapeutic efficacy. TRE represents a lifestyle-based non-pharmacologic approach that may improve treatment outcomes in breast cancer and warrants further investigation of metabolic timing strategies in cancer treatment.