Is there a drawback to intermittent fasting?

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Intermittent fasting:

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a method of eating that is based on the concept of time. The notion is that if we fast long enough, our insulin levels will drop low enough that our bodies will start using fat for fuel. This method leads to significant weight loss in both animals and humans, according to growing research. As I mentioned in an earlier blog article, IF can be part of a healthy weight loss or maintenance plan when combined with a nutritious, plant-based diet and regular physical activity.

According to a new randomised controlled experiment published in JAMA, IF has no meaningful weight loss benefit and has a significant negative impact on muscle mass. But what did this research look into and discover?141 patients were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of either a time-restricted eating plan (TRE) involving fasting for 16 hours and eating only within an eight-hour window of the day or a consistent meal timing (CMT) eating plan involving three structured meals plus snacks. Physical activity was not suggested, and neither group received any nutrition education or behavioural counselling. There was no such thing as a proper control group (meaning a group that did not receive any instructions about meal timing).Surprisingly, both groups shed pounds. Given the headlines, I had to read and reread the data multiple times, because they demonstrate that the IF group dropped statistically significant weight from start to finish, whereas the CMT group did not.

Taking a closer look at the research:

By the way, we have no idea if these people were eating fried or fast food, as well as sugary sodas and confectionery. The report makes no mention of nutrition or physical activity quality. This isn't the way IF should be done! Despite this, the IF participants lost half a pound to four pounds.

Importantly, the people who ate organised meals lost weight. While the difference was not big enough to indicate it was attributable to the intervention, it was enough for some participants to make structured meal weight loss similar to IF weight loss. But consider this: scheduled meals are a type of intervention. After all, some people have many little meals throughout the day, eating more than three times a day. Limiting people's eating to three meals plus snacks may be assisting them in eating less.

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Is it true that more help makes a difference?

Prior IF studies that included behavioural counselling, as well as nutrition and activity advice, had overwhelmingly excellent outcomes.

If you're following the 5:2 diet, you'll need to substantially reduce your food intake on two of the five days of the week (down to 500 calories for women and 700 calories for men)

Fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and olive oil were encouraged, along with moderate fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy, and one glass of wine per day for women and two glasses per day for men.

Fruits and vegetables, animal proteins, coconut products, butter, and olive oil, as well as some nuts, seeds, and legumes, were all highlighted in Paleo.

And this is crucial: all individuals were taught behavioural weight-loss, stress management, sleep, and exercise regimens. Everyone slimmed down. The IF group dropped the most weight, an average of 8.8 pounds, followed by the Mediterranean group at 6.2 pounds, and the Paleo group at 4 pounds. The Mediterranean diet (57%) and intermittent fasting (54%) had higher adherence than the Paleo diet (35%), and better adherence led in one to three pounds more weight loss. Another positive finding was that the Mediterranean and IF groups had significant reductions in blood pressure.

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The bottom line:

What's the point of all of this? Nothing beats a well-balanced diet and plenty of physical activity, especially resistance training when it comes to maintaining our health. For some people, IF is only a technique, a method that can help them lose weight. This one negative study contributes to the corpus of knowledge about IF, but it does not change it. To have a deeper understanding, we simply need additional high-quality studies

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