August M
Intermittent fasting has surged in popularity, promoted as a simple route to weight loss and better health.
But a major scientific review suggests the approach may offer no clear advantage over conventional dieting.
Limited weight loss
According to reporting by The Guardian, researchers analyzed data from 22 randomized clinical trials involving 1,995 adults across several continents.
The review, conducted using Cochrane’s gold-standard methods, found that people who were overweight or living with obesity lost similar amounts of weight whether they followed intermittent fasting plans or traditional calorie-reduction advice.
On average, fasting led to about 3% body weight loss—below the 5% reduction doctors typically regard as clinically meaningful. The studies examined outcomes over a maximum of 12 months.
Not a “miracle solution”
Dr Luis Garegnani, lead author and director of the Cochrane Associate Centre at the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires, said expectations around fasting should be tempered.
“Intermittent fasting is not a miracle solution, but it can be one option among several for weight management,” he said. “Intermittent fasting likely yields results similar to traditional dietary approaches for weight loss. It doesn’t appear clearly better, but it’s not worse either.”
The review assessed various fasting models, including alternate-day fasting, the 5:2 diet and time-restricted eating.
Popular but unclear benefits
Beyond modest weight loss, the researchers found no strong evidence that fasting improved quality of life more than other diets.
Garegnani noted that many studies in the field are short-term and vary in quality, making firm conclusions difficult. None of the 22 trials asked participants about their satisfaction with intermittent fasting.
Dr Zhila Semnani-Azad of the National University of Singapore, who was not involved in the review, said the timing of eating may influence results because metabolism is closely tied to circadian rhythms.
Expert reactions
Maik Pietzner, a professor at the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, said he was surprised the weight loss was so small compared with doing nothing.
“If people feel better on such diet regimens, I wouldn’t stop them, but this work, along with others in the field, clearly shows that there’s no robust evidence for positive effects beyond a possible moderate weight loss,” he said.
He added that while the body can tolerate periods without food, that does not necessarily translate into improved performance or long-term benefits.
Researchers say further high-quality, long-term studies are needed to clarify the potential health effects of intermittent fasting.
Source: Reporting by The Guardian.
