Intermittent fasting does not help with weight loss. – Will

Intermittent fasting is not only recommended for weight loss. It is said to have a whole host of other miraculous effects, such as preventing cardiovascular disease and extending life. The most common variants are the “5:2 fast”, where you eat absolutely nothing two days a week, and the “16:8 method”. Eat for eight hours, eg between 12pm and 8pm – only water and other non-caloric drinks are allowed the rest of the time.

In April, results of a major study in the New England Journal of Medicine called into question the effectiveness of this diet. In the experiment, 139 overweight patients were divided into two groups: one was given a traditional, low-calorie diet, and the other was given exactly the same calories, but were only allowed to eat between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Each person had to photograph their meals to monitor their discipline. The experiment lasted for a year. Both groups lost a lot of weight, but the difference between the two diets was not significant. In addition, there was no significant difference in BMI, waist circumference, and percentage of body fat. “Weight changes did not differ significantly in the two groups after the 12-month period,” the researchers wrote.

The conclusion that can be drawn from this experiment: It was the calorie reduction that caused the weight loss, and the times didn’t really matter.

sources): die zeit

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