Intermittent Fasting and Weight Loss
Intermittent Fasting and Weight Loss
by Claire Allen, RD
Intermittent fasting is a hot topic discussed in social circles and health care. Up until recently, the most commonly known forms of intermittent fasting were alternate-day-fasting and the 5:2 diet (fasting two days each week). Time restricted feeding is the newest form of intermittent fasting, in which eating is limited to a feeding window, usually 8 hours within a day, with a 16 hour fast overnight. Typically, food choices are unrestricted during the feeding window. Proponents of time restricted feeding suggest that the practice may improve an individual’s metabolic health and promote weight loss, although much of the data is reliant on animal experiments or small human trials. New research just published in JAMA Intern Med. looks at effects of time-restricted eating on weight loss and metabolic health in 116 obese or overweight patients over a 3-month period.
The major findings are as follows:
- Participants who followed time restricted feeding did not have significantly greater weight loss than the control group.
- Weight loss achieved by the time restricted feeding group appeared to be more lean muscle mass, not body fat.
- Time restricted eating did not change any relevant metabolic markers.
While this study was a randomized control trial, it wasn’t without limitations. The study was still relatively short (3 months) and nutrient intake was not self-reported, specifically as it pertained to protein intake. What this does indicated is that more research certainly needs to be done in order to better understand if time restricted intermittent fasting is a method to optimize health.
New York Times: A Potential Downside of Intermittent Fasting
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