How Does Intermittent Fasting Affect Our Weight?
Intermittent Fasting: While we may know many people following IM for weight loss, we may not be sure how it affects our overall health. The study throws more light on it. Out of different types of weight loss diets prevalent today, Intermittent Fasting has recently gained a lot of popularity, especially with many celebrities swearing by it. In layman’s language, Intermittent Fasting (IM) is a process of giving the body a rest by abstaining from eating for a long stretch of time. Food is to be eaten during a fixed window in the day, and then there has to be complete abstinence for rest of the time. There are different ways of going about it. Fasting period may range from 12 hours or 16 hours to 24 hours. Some people also follow the Alternative Day Fasting method. While we may know many people following IM for weight loss, we may not be sure how it affects our overall health. A recent study published on journal ‘Nutrients‘ throws more light on it.
Effects Of Intermittent Fasting On Overall Health:
Intermittent Fasting Effect On Weight Loss: A clinical trial was conducted on obese adults (18 to 64 years of age; mean body mass index, 34) in Chicago for one year. The participants were divided into three groups – alternate-day fasting (25% of energy needs on fast days; 125% of energy needs on alternating “feast days”), calorie restriction (75% of energy needs every day) and a no-intervention control. It was found that the control group maintained their weight around the baseline weight, while the alternate day fasting and daily caloric restriction groups, by 6 months, exhibited a nadir in weight 7% below the baseline weight. The authors also pointed out that alternate-day fasting did not improve health beyond calorie restriction.
Excerpted from NDTV Food
