
Revealed: Experts discover trendy diet loved by millions no better than other weight loss plans
Hollywood stars like Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Cameron Diaz and Mark Wahlberg have jumped on the trend since it shot to prominence in the early 2010s.
It sees dieters cram all their meals into a strict daily time window, or in extreme examples, skip some entirely.
But now, in a major review of data on the diet, a team of international researchers found the benefits from fasting were essentially 'trivial' compared to normal dieting.
Neither eating meals in a specific time window—like in an eight hour period—or doing fasting for five days of the week and then eating normally for two were found to be any better for losing weight.
In fact, alternate day fasting—where people fast for 24 hours on alternate days—was only found to help people lose more weight, with dieters slimming down 2.84lbs (1.29kg) more, on average.
However, this difference didn't meet what the researchers said was the minimum clinical threshold of 4.4lbs (2kg).
But they did say this type of intermittent fasting was found to lower cholesterol levels.
Time restricted fasting, which involves a 16 hour fast followed by an eight-hour eating window, was found to slightly increase cholesterol levels.
No benefit was found for blood sugar levels or 'good' cholesterol levels in any of the fasting diet strategies.
In the study, researchers analysed the results of 99 randomised clinical trials involving 6,582 adults, aged 45 on average, to compare intermittent fasting with calorie reducing diets.
Writing in the BMJ, the scientists said while their data suggested intermittent fasting was better for losing weight than not dieting at all, it didn't stand out compared to a basic calorie-counting diet.
'Minor differences were noted between some intermittent fasting diets and continuous energy restriction, with some benefit for an alternate day fasting strategy with weight loss in shorter duration trials,' they added.
'All intermittent fasting strategies and continuous energy restriction diets showed a reduction in body weight when compared with an ad-libitum diet (allowing yourself to eat at any time).
'Of three intermittent fasting diets alternate day fasting showed benefit in body weight reduction compared with continuous energy restriction.'
Independent experts, not involved in the research, said the findings were unsurprising.
Professor Naveed Sattar, an expert in cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said: 'Overall, the results do not surprise as there is nothing magical about intermittent fasting for weight loss—beyond being another way for people to lower their calorie intake.
'Whether it is sustainable over the longer term is worth examining.
'For those who need to lose much more weight, other options are now clearly available.'
Meanwhile, Dr Amanda Avery, an expert in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Nottingham, added: 'The pros and cons of intermittent fasting have been debated for some time now.
'This review can hopefully end the debate with the conclusion that if someone chooses intermittent fasting and overall a nutritionally balanced diet is still achieved, then it could be used as one of the options to support weight loss.'
Experts have long been divided over the effectiveness of intermittent fasting as well as its potential long term health impacts.
Some have even warned that it may raise the risk of strokes, heart attacks or early death.
One study earlier this year also suggested intermittent fasting could trigger type two diabetes.
Around two in three adults in the UK are obese or overweight, giving the country one of the highest obesity rates in Europe.
Obesity itself increases the chances of person suffering serious health conditions that can damage the heart, such as high blood pressure.
Last year, a sobering report also suggested Britain's spiralling obesity levels have fuelled a staggering 39 per cent rise in type 2 diabetes among people under 40, with 168,000 Brits now living with the illness.
Piling on the pounds has also been linked to at least 13 types of cancer and is the second biggest cause of the disease in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Roche to test if new drug can prevent Alzheimer's disease, Bloomberg News reports
July 27 (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding (ROG.S), opens new tab plans to test whether an experimental medicine can prevent Alzheimer's disease symptoms in high-risk people, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday. The new late-stage study will target people who are at risk of cognitive decline and aim to slow down the emergence of symptoms or prevent them fully, the report said, citing a statement. The new pre-clinical study is the third largest late-stage trial that the company has announced for its drug trontinemab, which uses an experimental technology called brain shuttle to ferry medicine past the protective blood-brain barrier, according to the report. Rivals like Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab have been making progress in the complicated field of Alzheimer's recently with Lilly's Alzheimer's drug Kisunla getting recommendation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) last week. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Roche did not immediately respond to a request for a comment. Treatments for Alzheimer's approved so far, including Eisai (4523.T), opens new tab and Biogen's (BIIB.O), opens new tab Leqembi, and Eli Lilly's Kisunla, are designed to clear sticky clumps of a protein called amyloid beta in the brain. They also carry hefty price tags and the risk of serious brain swelling and bleeding.


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Hospital begs for help identifying woman who has been in their care for past 100 days
A Manhattan hospital is begging for the public's help in identifying a woman who was admitted more than 100 days ago. On April 12 around 4:45am, a woman believed to be in her late-fifties was sitting at a Harlem bus stop when a bystander dialed 911. It is unclear why an ambulance was called, but she was taken to Mount Sinai in Morningside Heights - where she has remained ever since. Employees have described the mysterious patient, who may go by the name Pam, as shy. In a photo shared by the hospital, she was seen covering her face with a towel. But these surface-level details are all officials have gathered about Pam during her three months at the hospital, and now hospital workers are trying to fill in the gaps. The hospital is asking anyone with information on who she might be to come forward, NBC reported. Pam is 5'8" tall and weighs 170 pounds. Hospital workers believe she was often in the Harlem area and generally wore black and covered her face. She speaks English and has greying hair. The Daily Mail has reached out to Mount Sinai for comment. Anyone with information regarding Pam's identity should contact the hospital's associate director of social work Kelly LaTerra at 646-901-9309. Last month, a California man was found unconscious and was rushed to St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach. He was believed to be in his mid-forties, but just as in Pam's case, little else was known about the patient. A chilling photo released by Dignity Health showed the man lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a ventilator. In October 2024, another California hospital took a similar approach to Mount Sinai in hopes of identifying a seriously ill patient. Staff at the Riverside Community Hospital had done everything they could think of, but could not determine the name of a man who came through the facility's doors a month earlier. They refused to say what was wrong with him or why he was attached to a ventilator, but released a photograph in the hopes that someone can put a name to the face. Identifying John or Jane Doe patients is no easy task, as doctors and other hospital staff members must work to find out who they are without violating their rights. The New York Department of Health has protocols in place specifically for missing children, college students and vulnerable adults. These standards were set in 2018 after 'several instances of a missing adult with Alzheimer's disease who was admitted to a hospital as an unidentified patient and police and family members were unable to locate the individual.' However, the process is not as cut and dry when it is the hospital asking for the public's help instead of the other way around. While hospitals have been known to share images of unknown patients when all else fails, they are not allowed to reveal much about their circumstances.


The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Top medical body concerned over RFK Jr's reported plans to cut preventive health panel
A top US medical body has expressed 'deep concern' to Robert F Kennedy Jr over news reports that the health secretary plans to overhaul a panel that determines which preventive health measures including cancer screenings should be covered by insurance companies. The letter from the the American Medical Association comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Kennedy plans to overhaul the 40-year old US Preventive Services Task Force because he regards them as too 'woke', according to sources familiar with the matter. During his second term, Donald Trump has frequently raged against organizations and government departments that he considers too liberal – often without any evidence. The US president, and his cabinet members such as Kennedy, have also overseen huge cuts and job losses across the US government. The taskforce is made up of a 16-member panel appointed by health and human services secretaries to serve four-year terms. In addition to cancer screenings, the taskforce issues recommendations for a variety of other screenings including osteoporosis, intimate partner violence, HIV prevention, as well as depression in children. Writing in its letter to Kennedy on Sunday, the AMA defended the panel, saying: 'As you know, USPSTF plays a critical, non-partisan role in guiding physicians' efforts to prevent disease and improve the health of patients by helping to ensure access to evidence-based clinical preventive services.' 'As such, we urge you to retain the previously appointed members of the USPSTF and commit to the long-standing process of regular meetings to ensure their important work can be continued without disruption,' it added. Citing Kennedy's own slogan of 'Making America healthy again,' the AMA went on to say: 'USPSTF members have been selected through an open, public nomination process and are nationally recognized experts in primary care, prevention and evidence-based medicine. They serve on a volunteer basis, dedicating their time to help reduce disease and improve the health of all Americans – a mission well-aligned with the Make America Healthy Again initiative.' According to the Affordable Care Act, public and private insurance companies must cover any services recommended by the Preventive Services Task Force without cost sharing. In a statement to MedPage Today, Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon did not confirm the reports, instead saying: 'No final decision has been made on how the USPSTF can better support HHS' mandate to Make America Healthy Again.' Reports of Kennedy's alleged decision to overhaul the taskforce come after the American Conservative published an essay earlier this month that described the taskforce as advocating for 'leftwing ideological orthodoxy'. It went on to accuse the panel of being 'packed with Biden administration appointees devoted to the ideological capture of medicine', warning that the 'continued occupation of an important advisory body in HHS – one that has the capacity to force private health insurers to cover services and procedures – by leftwing activists would be a grave oversight by the Trump administration'. In response to the essay, 104 health organizations, including the American Medical Association, issued a separate letter to multiple congressional health committees in which they urged the committees to 'protect the integrity' of the taskforce. 'The loss of trustworthiness in the rigorous and nonpartisan work of the Task Force would devastate patients, hospital systems, and payers as misinformation creates barriers to accessing lifesaving and cost effective care,' the organizations said. In June, Kennedy removed all 17 members of a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel of vaccine experts. Writing in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, he accused the committee of having too many conflicts of interest. Kennedy's decision to overhaul the immunization panel was met with widespread criticism from health experts, with the American Public Health Association executive director Georges Benjamin calling the ouster 'a coup'. 'It's not how democracies work. It's not good for the health of the nation,' Benjamin said.