• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
Podcast
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

Is intermittent fasting actually good for weight loss? Here’s what the evidence says

June 10, 2022
in Article
0
Is intermittent fasting actually good for weight loss? Here’s what the evidence says
file 20220610 16487 pgezi3
Many people find intermittent fasting to be more flexible and easy to follow than other diets. Marcin Malicki/ Shutterstock

If you’re someone who’s thought about losing weight or has wanted to get healthier in the past few years, you’ve probably come across these two words: intermittent fasting. From celebrities to fitness enthusiasts, intermittent fasting has many thousands of loyal advocates online, claiming this way of eating has helped them lose weight better than other diet methods have.

It’s easy to see the appeal of intermittent fasting as a weight loss method. Not only is it simple, it’s also flexible, can be adapted easily to every person, and doesn’t require you to eliminate foods or count calories. But despite its popularity, intermittent fasting may not actually be better than other diet methods when it comes to weight loss.

To date, numerous studies have shown intermittent fasting is as good as counting calories when it comes to weight loss – including a recent study, which tracked participants for more than a year.

This has even been shown with many different types of intermittent fasting, including alternate-day fasting (where you fast or restrict calories every other day), 5:2 dieting (eating normally five days a week, then fasting or restricting calories for two days) and time-restricted eating (where you eat all of your days calories within a set time window, such as only eating during an eight hour window, then fasting for 16 hours). But no studies have yet shown intermittent fasting to be any better than conventional diets.

Intermittent fasting reduces the amount you eat, but it may have a downside. It both reduces the amount of physical activity we do, and reduces how hard we push during exercise.

This is true regardless of the type of intermittent fasting you do. This suggests that when calorie intake is substantially reduced – even for a short period of time – the body adapts by reducing the number of calories used during exercise. Researchers aren’t entirely sure why this happens, however.

While this may not necessarily affect weight loss, lower physical activity levels can have other negative effects on health. For example, a recent alternate-day fasting study found that even just three weeks of this diet reduced physical activity levels and led to a greater loss of muscle mass than a daily calorie restriction diet. The fasting diet was also less effective than daily calorie restriction for fat loss.

A woman in the gym performs a lat pulldown. A man behind her is using a machine to perform a chest press.
Resistance training (such as weight lifting) may help prevent muscle loss from intermittent fasting.
Maridav/ Shutterstock

Muscle mass is crucial for many reasons, including regulating blood sugar levels and staying physically able as we get older. So diets that cause muscle loss are best avoided. However, combining intermittent fasting with exercise programmes – such as resistance training – may help people better maintain lean muscle mass while encouraging fat loss.

Are there other benefits to fasting?

While intermittent fasting might not be a miracle solution when it comes to weight loss, that doesn’t mean it might not still have other health benefits.

A recent review on intermittent fasting found that it improved blood pressure, insulin sensitivity (how effectively the body regulates blood sugar) and lowered cholesterol levels to a similar extent as daily calorie restriction.

It is likely this effect is due to weight loss. But since few studies have followed participants for longer than a year, it’s hard to know whether the these effects persist.

Some research also suggests how you fast may also be key. A number of studies have shown promising results from early time-restricted eating, which involves eating all your day’s calories in the early part of the day and fasting in the evening, usually from 4pm onwards. Eating early in the day aligns food intake with our natural circadian rhythms, which means nutrients are processed more efficiently.

Early time-restricted eating has also been shown to improve several markers of health, such as insulin sensitivity, which is a key risk factor for type 2 diabetes. These improvements were even seen without weight loss.




Read more:
Is body weight affected by when you eat? Here’s what science knows so far


There’s also evidence that outcomes from the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet can be improved by positioning the two very-low or no calorie diet days consecutively. This may lead to improvements in insulin sensitivity greater than what would be seen when practising daily calorie restriction.

This might be due to spending more time in a fasted-state, which increases the amount of body fat you burn. Interestingly, exercising while fasting may also help you burn more fat and improve insulin sensitivity.

So while intermittent fasting might not be better than other diets for weight loss, making changes to how you do it – such as fasting in the evening – may help you see other health benefits.

For people who struggle to stick with calorie restriction diets, intermittent fasting is safe and may still be effective. It’s also worth noting that it’s best to combine intermittent fasting with exercise to experience the best results.

The Conversation

David Clayton has received research funding from the British Nutrition Foundation and The Society for Endocrinology.

ShareTweetSharePin
Previous Post

Sepsis still kills 1 in 5 people worldwide – two ICU physicians offer a new approach to stopping it

Next Post

Why opting out of opioids can be dangerous in the operating room

Next Post
Why opting out of opioids can be dangerous in the operating room

Why opting out of opioids can be dangerous in the operating room

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

January 4, 2022
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

October 24, 2021
Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

November 29, 2021
Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

October 12, 2022

10 Things I Learned During My Body Transformation

October 12, 2021

7 Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

October 12, 2021
Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

October 12, 2021
How air filters can make COVID wards safer for patients and staff

How air filters can make COVID wards safer for patients and staff

December 1, 2021
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022
Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

September 28, 2022
Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

July 19, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS