Is Intermittent Fasting the Answer to Losing Weight?
A new study debunks the notion that the popular dietary regimen helps shed pounds. And two University of Miami nutrition experts weigh the pros and cons of the weight-loss method. Many dieters swear by it.Intermittent fasting, a dietary regimen that cycles between periods of eating and fasting, has been a popular weight management tool for years. The regimen does not restrict the person from any food, instead it limits the hours that eating can occur. For years, followers have been told that this method of eating could help them lose weight.
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, however, suggests that intermittent fasting may not actually help people lose weight compared to caloric restriction. Researchers in China found that when a group of obese reduced their calorie intake, with or without adding time-restricted eating, those in the fasting group did not show a greater weight loss.
Dr. Michelle Pearlman, assistant professor in the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and Arlette Perry, professor and chair of Kinesiology and Sports Sciences in the School of Education and Human Development, weigh in on the findings of this new study.
Excerpted from The University of Miami
