Latest news with #alternateDayFasting
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Research points to intermittent fasting as one of the more effective restrictive diets
Want to lose weight? Researchers report that intermittent fasting appears to be comparable to traditional restrictive diets — and one form is better than the rest. Intermittent fasting refers to a diet in which people reduce the number of hours they eat in a day. Benefits to this strategy have previously been identified by physicians. After hours without food, the body exhausts its sugar stores and starts burning fat, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. In the U.S., two in five adults are living with obesity, and the condition costs America's healthcare system nearly $173 billion a year. People who are obese have a higher risk of serious chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Now, doctors and researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and other international institutions are adding to prior analysis, finding in a new study that alternate-day fasting also demonstrates greater benefits compared with just curbing calories and other intermittent fasting strategies. Alternate-day fasting means a day-long fast on alternate days. 'Of all forms of intermittent fasting, alternate day fasting — in which a person fasts for a full day, every other day — was most effective,' Harvard said in a statement announcing the findings. The research was published recently in the journal in The BMJ. To reach the conclusions, the authors analyzed the health of more than 6,500 adults in 99 clinical trials. Nearly 90 percent were obese and had existing health conditions. The trials ranged in length from between three weeks and just around a year. All intermittent fasting strategies and may lead to small reductions in body weight compared with a calorie deficit. However, alternate-day fasting demonstrated superior results, resulting in 2.8 pounds greater weight loss compared to traditional calorie-restricted diets in addition to improvements in several other body measurements related to cardiometabolic risk. Those include waist circumference, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and c-reactive protein- an indicator of inflammation. Alternate-day fasting was tied to lower levels of total and 'bad' cholesterol. Bad cholesterol increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. 'However, these differences did not reach the minimally important clinical threshold of at least [4.4 pounds] of weight loss for individuals with obesity, as defined by the study authors,' they noted in a release. They said that longer duration trials are needed to further substantiate their findings, and that intermittent fasting is not the right dietary choice for everyone, despite its potential effectiveness. 'As with any dietary change, it is important to consult with health care providers and to consider one's medical history, dietary preferences, social environment, and realistic long-term compliance,' Zhila Semnani-Azad, postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Nutrition and the study's lead author, noted.
The Independent
30-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Hoping to lose weight? Intermittent fasting might be worth trying
Want to lose weight? Researchers report that intermittent fasting appears to be comparable to traditional restrictive diets — and one form is better than the rest. Intermittent fasting refers to a diet in which people reduce the number of hours they eat in a day. Benefits to this strategy have previously been identified by physicians. After hours without food, the body exhausts its sugar stores and starts burning fat, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. In the U.S., two in five adults are living with obesity, and the condition costs America's healthcare system nearly $173 billion a year. People who are obese have a higher risk of serious chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Now, doctors and researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and other international institutions are adding to prior analysis, finding in a new study that alternate-day fasting also demonstrates greater benefits compared with just curbing calories and other intermittent fasting strategies. Alternate-day fasting means a day-long fast on alternate days. 'Of all forms of intermittent fasting, alternate day fasting — in which a person fasts for a full day, every other day — was most effective,' Harvard said in a statement announcing the findings. The research was published recently in the journal in The BMJ. To reach the conclusions, the authors analyzed the health of more than 6,500 adults in 99 clinical trials. Nearly 90 percent were obese and had existing health conditions. The trials ranged in length from between three weeks and just around a year. All intermittent fasting strategies and may lead to small reductions in body weight compared with a calorie deficit. However, alternate-day fasting demonstrated superior results, resulting in 2.8 pounds greater weight loss compared to traditional calorie-restricted diets in addition to improvements in several other body measurements related to cardiometabolic risk. Those include waist circumference, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and c-reactive protein- an indicator of inflammation. Alternate-day fasting was tied to lower levels of total and 'bad' cholesterol. Bad cholesterol increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. 'However, these differences did not reach the minimally important clinical threshold of at least [4.4 pounds] of weight loss for individuals with obesity, as defined by the study authors,' they noted in a release. They said that longer duration trials are needed to further substantiate their findings, and that intermittent fasting is not the right dietary choice for everyone, despite its potential effectiveness. 'As with any dietary change, it is important to consult with health care providers and to consider one's medical history, dietary preferences, social environment, and realistic long-term compliance,' Zhila Semnani-Azad, postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Nutrition and the study's lead author, noted.
The Independent
23-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
The fasting strategy that scientists suggest rivals the most effective methods
A new study indicates alternate-day fasting is more effective at boosting metabolism compared to both calorie restriction and intermittent fasting. An analysis of 99 clinical trials found alternate-day fasting was the only dietary strategy to provide a modest benefit in reducing body weight compared to continuous calorie restriction. This form of fasting was also associated with lower levels of total and LDL, or 'bad' cholesterol when compared to time-restricted eating. Researchers noted that alternate-day fasting did not meet the clinically significant threshold of at least 2kg of weight loss for individuals with obesity. The study concluded that longer-duration trials are needed to further substantiate these findings and understand the long-term effects of various dietary strategies.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
This dieting approach may be more effective than intermittent fasting, scientists say
Alternate-day fasting works better at boosting metabolism compared to both calorie restriction and intermittent fasting, a new study suggests. Nearly 2.5 billion adults, or about 43 per cent of the global adult population, are overweight, with around 890 million living with obesity, according to the World Health Organization. Doctors recommend weight loss for this segment of the population to reduce metabolic risk factors like high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and increased blood sugar levels, all of which contribute to diabetes and heart disease. Intermittent fasting, which involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting on a regular schedule, is sometimes recommended as an alternative to traditional calorie-restricted diets for weight loss. This may include time-restricted eating, typically involving a 16-hour fasting period followed by an eight-hour eating window. Another form of fasting is alternate-day fasting, which involves a 24-hour fast every other day. But the health benefits of various forms of fasting compared to continuous caloric restriction and an unrestricted diet have remained largely unclear so far. In a new study, researchers analysed the results of 99 randomised clinical trials involving 6,582 adult men and women to compare the effects of intermittent fasting diets with continuous calorie restriction or unrestricted diets on body weight and metabolic risk factors. The study participants had an average body mass index of 31, and nearly 90 per cent had pre-existing health conditions. Researchers found that alternate-day fasting was the only dietary strategy which provided a modest benefit in reducing body weight compared to continuous calorie restriction. This form of fasting was also associated with lower levels of total and LDL, or 'bad' cholesterol compared to time-restricted eating. However, researchers noted that even alternate-day fasting did not meet the clinically significant threshold of at least 2kg of weight loss for individuals with obesity. They cautioned that 'longer-duration trials are needed to further substantiate these findings'. 'Additional high quality randomised clinical trials, with extended durations beyond 52 weeks, are needed to elucidate the long-term effects of these dietary strategies,' they said in the study, 'with greater emphasis between intermittent fasting and its impact on cardiometabolic health across diverse populations.' For now, they said, alternate-day fasting could be added to the therapeutic toolkit for managing weight and metabolic health. 'Intermittent fasting does not aim to replace other dietary strategies, but to integrate and complement them within a comprehensive, patient-centered nutritional care model,' they noted.
The Independent
19-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
The dieting approach that could work better than intermittent fasting
A new review suggests that alternate-day fasting may be more effective for weight loss compared to other intermittent fasting methods and calorie-restricted diets. The comprehensive review analysed data from 99 studies involving over 6,500 participants, many of whom had pre-existing health conditions. Researchers found that both intermittent fasting strategies and continuous energy restriction diets led to overall body weight reduction. Specifically, alternate-day fasting resulted in an average of 1.29kg more weight loss than continuous energy restriction. While the weight reduction was considered 'trivial' when compared to time-restricted eating and whole-day fasting, alternate-day fasting was the only intermittent fasting strategy to show a distinct benefit over continuous energy restriction.
