Touted as a simple way to lose weight, intermittent fasting has become popular. But does it actually work?
A recent review published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews suggests the benefits of intermittent fasting may be overstated. Researchers found little evidence that it leads to meaningful weight loss in people who are overweight or obese.
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The team analysed data from 22 randomised clinical trials involving 1,995 adults across North America, Europe, China, Australia, and South America.
The studies examined three common approaches: alternate-day fasting, where participants fast or consume just 20–25 per cent of their usual calories every other day; periodic fasting, also known as the 5:2 diet, which restricts intake on one or two days per week; and time-restricted eating, or the 16:8 diet, which limits daily eating to an eight-to-10-hour window.
These fasting strategies were compared with traditional dietary advice, or with no intervention at all.
Overall, intermittent fasting did not appear to produce clinically meaningful improvements in weight loss or quality of life compared with standard dietary guidance or doing nothing.
“Intermittent fasting may be a reasonable option for some people,” the study author cautioned, “but the current evidence doesn’t justify the enthusiasm we see on social media.”
