Is Intermittent Fasting Effective for Night Shift Workers?
Published in The Lancet‘s eBioMedicine, the SWIFt study tested the effectiveness of two variations of the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet compared with continuous energy restriction in 250 night shift workers. The research was led by Professor Maxine Bonham from the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, a part of the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health and a team from University of South Australia, Griffith University, Deakin University and Monash University.
“Due to their work schedules, night shift workers have little choice but to eat at times of the day normally associated with sleeping, and because of this weight gain and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes are recognised consequences of night shift work,” said Professor Bonham.
The 5:2 strategy involved eating just 2100 kJ (about 25% of usual dietary intake) for two days of the week, either on night shift or rest days and eating normally on the remaining days. The researchers compared this approach to a traditional continuous energy restriction diet over 24 weeks.
Excerpted from Monash University
