Looking to lose weight as effectively as possible? You probably don’t need to try intermittent fasting then, research published this month shows.
Scientists examined data from nearly two dozen randomized, controlled trials. They found that people practicing intermittent fasting weren’t likely to lose significantly more weight than those given typical dietary advice. What’s more, intermittent fasting might not even work better for weight loss than doing nothing at all.
“Compared to regular dietary advice, intermittent fasting may result in little to no difference in weight loss or quality of life,” the study researchers wrote in their paper, published over the weekend in the Cochrane Library.
A weak case for intermittent fasting
The Cochrane Library is a British-based research organization that regularly publishes comprehensive reviews of clinical trial data related to vital public health topics, including weight loss treatments.
Scientists in Argentina and the U.S. conducted this latest research, which involved analyzing 22 randomized and controlled trials that collectively enrolled nearly 2,000 volunteers. These trials compared overweight or obese people who were asked to undergo various types of intermittent fasting (alternate-day fasting, time-restricted fasting, and periodic fasting, for instance) to people who were either given routine dieting advice or no intervention at all. The trials lasted for at least four weeks, while people’s health was tracked for at least six months.
Ultimately, compared to typical dieting, the researchers found that intermittent fasting led to minimal or no improvement in how much weight people lost; it also didn’t seem to improve people’s quality of life. On the plus side, fasting didn’t appear to cause significantly more adverse events than dieting, though the researchers were less certain about that conclusion due to the low quality of evidence available.
Perhaps the most depressing finding was that intermittent fasting didn’t even do great in the most flattering light. Compared to not doing anything different, “intermittent fasting likely makes little to no difference to weight loss,” the researchers concluded.
What this means for weight loss
This research doesn’t necessarily mean that no one can benefit from intermittent fasting. For some, having a regimented eating schedule just might make it easier for them to stick to a healthier eating routine. But the findings do echo other studies that have failed to find a significant boost in losing weight from fasting, at least for the average person.
These studies also highlight a well-known reality for almost anyone who has tried to trim some pounds in the past: Very often, dietary and lifestyle changes of any kind don’t lead to long-term weight loss. People may even lose lots of weight at first through dieting and exercise alone, only to eventually regain most or all of it. Obesity is a complex condition, and people’s bodies tend to fiercely resist sustained drops in weight.
There are still many other health benefits that can come from starting a new diet or gym routine, of course. And recent interventions like GLP-1 therapy have finally started to move the needle in treating obesity, though these medications have their drawbacks, too (including the fact that it’s not easy to stop taking them and keep the weight off).
For those looking for a hidden secret to weight loss, though, intermittent fasting’s likely not it.
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