Intermittent fasting helps with weight loss, but it's unclear how
Intermittent fasting has become an increasingly popular practice to promote weight loss. But is this method really effective, and to what extent this diet can harm your health? A new study tried to answer these questions.
Intermittent fasting, what is it?
Intermittent fasting is a diet where a person abstains from consuming calories for an extended period of time. Usually, this period lasts between 12 and 40 hours. Water, coffee, and other calorie-free drinks are allowed during the fast, but no solid foods or calorie-containing drinks are allowed. Intermittent fasting has been one of the most popular dietary trends of the past decade. Quite easy to adopt, some people swear by the food pattern.
Usually, those who choose to practice intermittent fasting want to lose weight, manage their appetite, or promote optimal health. Still, intermittent fasting may not be right for everyone, either for medical reasons or because it doesn't fit the picture of a nutritious and sustainable diet. In addition, many gray areas persist on the real effects of this type of diet on health.
One of the main areas of contention on the subject is particularly the benefits of weight loss through intermittent fasting. In particular, many experts claim that the majority of weight loss associated with time-restricted eating can be attributed to a simple reduction in overall calorie intake, and not to any particular metabolic mechanism associated with the intermittent fasting strategy. Unfortunately, there is not enough scientific evidence to confirm or refute this theory.
The origin of the weight loss linked to intermittent fasting remains unknown
A new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine again tried to shed some light on this topic. According to the study results, intermittent fasting actually helps with weight loss. Unfortunately, the study could not determine whether the weight loss is related to a change in metabolism through intermittent fasting, or simply a decrease in food intake.
To reach their conclusion, the researchers recruited 90 obese and overweight subjects. Divided them into two groups. All were told to follow a low-calorie diet, but one group was only allowed to eat between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day. The other group was free to eat at any time of the day or night, as long as the low-calorie diet is adhered to. The experiment lasted 14 weeks. The results showed that people who could only eat for a limited time during the day tended to lose more weight.
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