Intermittent fasting and weight loss: Systematic review

To examine the evidence for intermittent fasting (IF), an alternative to calorie-restricted diets, in treating obesity, an important health concern in Canada with few effective office-based treatment strategies. A MEDLINE and EMBASE search from January 1, 2000, to July 1, 2019, yielded 1200 results...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian family physician 2020-02, Vol.66 (2), p.117-125
Main Authors: Welton, Stephanie, Minty, Robert, O'Driscoll, Teresa, Willms, Hannah, Poirier, Denise, Madden, Sharen, Kelly, Len
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body Mass Index
Fasting
Female
Humans
Male
Obesity - therapy
Primary Health Care - methods
Weight Loss
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Summary:To examine the evidence for intermittent fasting (IF), an alternative to calorie-restricted diets, in treating obesity, an important health concern in Canada with few effective office-based treatment strategies. A MEDLINE and EMBASE search from January 1, 2000, to July 1, 2019, yielded 1200 results using the key words and . Forty-one articles describing 27 trials addressed weight loss in overweight and obese patients: 18 small randomized controlled trials (level I evidence) and 9 trials comparing weight after IF to baseline weight with no control group (level II evidence). Studies were often of short duration (2 to 26 weeks) with low enrolment (10 to 244 participants); 2 were of 1-year duration. Protocols varied, with only 5 studies including patients with type 2 diabetes. All 27 IF trials found weight loss of 0.8% to 13.0% of baseline weight with no serious adverse events. Twelve studies comparing IF to calorie restriction found equivalent results. The 5 studies that included patients with type 2 diabetes documented improved glycemic control. Intermittent fasting shows promise for the treatment of obesity. To date, the studies have been small and of short duration. Longer-term research is needed to understand the sustainable role IF can play in weight loss.
ISSN:0008-350X
1715-5258