Dietary rhythms have emerged as a relevant variable in the equation relating nutrition and health. Both experimental and epidemiological studies point to potential beneficial effects of adequate fasting intervals between meals on the evolution of chronic diseases associated with aging. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is eminently related to diet and unsurprisingly, diet-based approaches are a mainstay in countering its long-term clinical evolution, including the emergence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We briefly discuss current evidence linking fasting intervals, MASLD, and HCC and propose a working hypothesis to reconcile some of the apparently conflicting results. This hypothesis relates the beneficial effects of time-restricted eating schedules to the quantity and quality of food, and it is easily amenable to testing.
饮食节律已成为营养与健康关系方程中的一个重要变量。实验与流行病学研究均表明，适当的餐间禁食间隔可能对延缓与衰老相关的慢性疾病发展具有潜在益处。代谢功能障碍相关脂肪性肝病（MASLD）与饮食密切相关，因此基于饮食的干预策略自然成为遏制其长期临床进展（包括肝细胞癌的发生）的主要手段。本文简要探讨了当前关于禁食间隔、MASLD与肝细胞癌关联的证据，并提出一个可调和部分看似矛盾研究结果的工作假说。该假说将限时进食方案的有益效应与食物摄入量及质量相关联，且易于通过实验验证。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家