Intermittent fasting has turn into a buzz in nutrition circles, with many taking a look at it as a option to drop a few pounds or improve their health.
But recent research from The Cochrane Collaboration It shows that intermittent fasting is not any more practical for weight reduction than taking conventional dietary advice or doing nothing.
In this international review, researchers examined 22 studies involving 1,995 adults who were obese (with a body mass index of 25–29.9 kg/m²) or obese (with a BMI of 30 kg/m² or more) and evaluated the effectiveness of intermittent fasting.
The authors found that, compared to energy-restricted weight-reduction plan, intermittent fasting didn't work for individuals who were obese or obese and attempting to drop a few pounds. However, they note that intermittent fasting should still be an affordable option for some people.
Remind me, what's intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting a A tool for weight managementwhich incorporates three important strategies:
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Alternate-day fasting, where energy intake is reduced or reduced every other day.
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Intermittent fasting or the 5:2 food plan, where one or two days per week are spent with little or no energy.
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A time-restricted food plan or 16:8 food plan, where day by day energy intake is reduced to less, normally between eight and ten waking hours.
What has previous research shown?
Previous reviews have been found. Differences between types Intermittent fasting.
Alternate-day fasting, for instance, results in greater weight reduction than intermittent fasting.
That's because participants who fasted every other day consumed about 20 percent less energy than those that ate after the time restriction.
What did the Cochrane review find?
Cochrane reviews use gold standard techniques to supply an objective assessment of the evidence. This Review checked out 22 individual randomized controlled trials published between 2016 and 2024 from North America, Europe, China, Australia and South America.
The trials compared the outcomes of nearly 2,000 adults who were categorized as obese or obese. These participants are either:
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Received standard dietary advice, corresponding to restricting calories or eating quite a lot of foods
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Practiced intermittent fasting.
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Either received regular dietary advice, received no intervention or were on a waiting list.
The authors found:
1. Intermittent fasting was no higher than taking dietary advice.
The researchers found that intermittent fasting and receiving dietary advice to limit energy intake resulted in similar levels of weight reduction.
The findings were based on 21 studies involving 1,713 people, with researchers measuring the change from the participants' starting weight.
Dietary advice (by registered dietitians or trained researchers) may include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and seafood, calorie restriction, or any specific dietary advice for weight reduction.
With intermittent fasting or dietary advice, the quantity of weight the participants lost went from 10% to 1%.
These results are much like many others. Recent A meta-analysis who found that intermittent fasting was no higher than abstinence.
Previous research found that almost all alternate-day fasting and intermittent-diet studies resulted in roughly 6% to 7% weight reduction. This is in comparison with very low-energy “shake” diets (about 10%), GLP-1 drugs (15% to twenty%) and surgery (above 20%).
The review also found the opportunity of intermittent fasting. Little matters For an individual's quality of life based on only three studies.
2. Intermittent fasting was not higher than nothing.
The researchers found that intermittent fasting and no intervention led to similar levels of weight reduction. The findings were based on six studies involving 448 people.
In intermittent fasting studies, participants experienced about 5 percent weight reduction. The “no intervention” or control group lost about 2 percent of their original weight.
In the research, the three% difference in weight reduction shouldn't be considered. Clinically meaningful. The authors of this review subsequently concluded that intermittent fasting is not any more practical than doing nothing for weight reduction.
However, a “no interference” condition may result for this reason. The Hawthorne effect: the tendency for people to behave in a different way because they know they're being observed, corresponding to in a clinical trial.
What are the constraints of the review?
There were few large, high-quality randomized controlled trials price noting.
Only six studies that compared intermittent fasting with nothing were included within the review section. Two of them give attention to restricted eating, which is the least effective weight reduction strategy. One checked out the consequences of fasting once per week. The other three were intermittent fasting studies, each with different control groups, where some received guidance and others didn't.
In addition, the review only checked out studies where interventions lasted six to 12 months. It is feasible that intermittent fasting strategies could also be a long-term tool for weight maintenance. So we'd like to do more research, and ideally long-term studies.
What about other health advantages of fasting?
Studies have shown that intermittent fasting can. Low blood pressure, Improve fertilityand reduce the incidence of Metabolic syndrome which refers to groups of conditions that increase the chance of heart disease.
In a 2024 study, researchers found that intermittent fasting can result in metabolic and intestinal changes that limit How does cancer develop?. Another 2025 study reported that intermittent fasting can. Improve metabolic health of shift employees.
So if you happen to've been practicing or considering intermittent fasting, current evidence suggests it will possibly be a secure and effective option to manage your weight.
But for any weight reduction technique to work, it must be tailored to your personal preferences. And it is best to seek the advice of a healthcare skilled before starting any recent food plan, especially if you could have an underlying health condition.