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Intermittent fasting may make little difference to weight...

But researchers say it could still improve someone's overall health through helpful changes to some body functions.

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Intermittent fasting may make little difference to weight...
Source: BBC Health

What’s Happening

Listen up: But researchers say it could still improve someone’s overall health through helpful changes to some body functions.

Intermittent fasting may make little difference to weight loss, review finds 12 hours ago Save Philippa Roxby Health reporter Save Intermittent fasting may not help people who are overweight or obese lose weight, a large review suggests. The researchers say the popular practice of fasting on some days of the week and eating normally on others ā€œmay make little to no difference to weight loss and quality of lifeā€. (it feels like chaos)

But they say intermittent fasting could still improve overall health through helpful changes to some body functions, though more evidence is needed.

The Details

Examples of intermittent fasting include the 5:2 diet and restricting eating to a short window - often about eight hours - every day. The research team looked at the results of 22 previous studies involving nearly 2,000 adults to find out if short-term intermittent fasting (over a period up to 12 months) was better at helping adults lose weight than standard dietary advice, or no advice at all.

Intermittent fasting is a fairly new approach to losing weight, and has gained popularity in recent years. Different types include: only eating during a set period each day fasting on certain days of the week alternating between days of eating normally and days of eating little Compared to giving people traditional advice on dieting, such as reducing calorie intake and eating more healthily, the review found intermittent fasting made little to no difference to peoples weight loss or quality of life.

Why This Matters

It also made little to no difference compared to those offered no advice or who were waiting for advice on weight loss, although the effect on quality of life was not clear. Luis Garegnani, lead review author from the Universidad Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, dropped he was concerned hype around fasting. ā€œIntermittent fasting may be a reasonable option for some people, but the current evidence doesnt justify the enthusiasm we see on socials,ā€ he dropped.

Medical professionals are taking note of this development.

The Bottom Line

ā€œIntermittent fasting may be a reasonable option for some people, but the current evidence doesnt justify the enthusiasm we see on socials,ā€ he dropped.

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