Contrary to popular belief, eating only at certain times of the day does not allow you to lose more weight than a “classic” diet, based on lower caloric intake.
- Fasting for therapeutic purposes would have appeared during the 1950s.
- Previous studies have shown that intermittent fasting can lead to weight loss and an improvement in certain indicators.
- In 2016, more than 650 million people suffered from obesity worldwide.
Intermittent fasting became popular a few years ago. It would be an effective method to lose weight. It is based on a simple principle: meals must be concentrated on a specific period of the day. For example, the last meal is finished at 8 p.m. and the next begins at noon the next day, so the person fasts for 16 hours and can eat for the other eight hours. But according to a team of Chinese researchers, this technique would not be more effective than conventional methods for losing weight. In the New England Journal of Medicinethey present the results of a comparative study on intermittent fasting and calorie restriction.
A modified diet for a year
For a year, this scientific team followed 139 people with obesity, all of whom volunteered to take part in the study. The researchers asked them to restrict their caloric intake: it should be between 1,500 and 1,800 calories per day for men, and between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day for women. Then, the participants were divided into two groups: the first could have meals at any time, the second could eat only between 8 am and 4 pm. Throughout the study, participants noted what they ate and took pictures. At the same time, the scientists followed their state of health, and recorded their weight loss.
Effects related to calorie restriction
After one year, all the participants had lost weight: between 6.4 and 8.2 kilos on average. According to the researchers, intermittent fasting did not lead to any improvement compared to a conventional diet: participants who adopted this mode of eating did not lose more weight, and no other weight-related indicator (waist circumference or body mass index) had decreased. Body fat, insulin resistance or blood pressure did not improve further. “Our data suggest that calorie restriction largely explains the effects of intermittent fasting.”conclude the authors.
A beneficial discipline for weight loss?
Asked by CNNDr. David Katz, nutrition specialist, believes that “restricting time rather than calories does not magically alter metabolism, rather it is a form of discipline that helps control caloriess”. Above all, he recommends improving the quality of the diet, for example by eating whole foods, and then controlling the quantities will follow naturally. “A diet consisting primarily of healthy, whole plant foods is inherently satiating and low in calories.”, he believes. In any case, it is recommended to consult a specialist before radically changing your diet.
