Fasting diets have grown in popularity due to the perceived ease of implementing them for weight loss.
Now, a comprehensive analysis has found that they emit comparable benefits to traditional calorie-restricted approaches.
The analysis of 99 clinical trials, published in the BMJ, examined data from 6,582 adults, revealing that alternate-day fasting offered the most promising results of all the fasting methods.
The fasting method involves alternating between days of eating normally and 24-hour fasts.
Participants adhering to this eating pattern also achieved marginally better weight reductions compared to continuous calorie restriction.
Alternate-day fasting also demonstrated benefits for cholesterol levels
PEXELS
However, the researchers noted that whilst measurable differences were observed, these did not meet the clinical threshold considered significant for individuals with obesity.
Alternate-day fasting showed a mean weight reduction of 2.8lb more than continuous energy restriction.
When compared to other intermittent fasting approaches, alternate-day fasting resulted in 3.7lb kilograms more weight loss than time-restricted eating and 1.05 kilograms more than whole-day fasting.
The study authors established a clinical threshold of at least 4.4lb of weight loss for individuals with obesity. None of the observed differences between dietary strategies reached this benchmark.
Alternate-day fasting also demonstrated benefits for cholesterol levels. Participants showed lower total and "bad" cholesterol compared to those following time-restricted eating patterns.
The various intermittent fasting methods examined fall into three main categories. Time-restricted eating, such as the 16:8 diet, involves a 16-hour fasting period followed by an 8-hour eating window.
Unlike alternate-day fasting, whole-day fasting includes approaches like the 5:2 diet with five days of unrestricted eating and two fasting days.
The trials included in the analysis ranged from three to 52 weeks in duration, with an average of 12 weeks.
The researchers acknowledged several limitations, including high variation among diet strategy comparisons and small sample sizes in many trials.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Intermittent fasting diets may have similar benefits to continuous energy restriction
PEXELSThey concluded: "The current evidence provides some indication that intermittent fasting diets have similar benefits to continuous energy restriction for weight loss and cardiometabolic risk factors.
"Longer duration trials are needed to further substantiate these findings."
In a linked editorial, Colombian researchers suggested the study's value lies in positioning alternate-day fasting as an additional therapeutic option rather than establishing a superior strategy.
They emphasised: "Intermittent fasting does not aim to replace other dietary strategies but to integrate and complement them within a comprehensive, patient-centred nutritional care model."
Most Read
