After discussing weight loss tactics with hundreds of patients over the years, a lot of people are trying Intermittent Fasting for weight loss. My job is to give you the facts, so here they are:
There is limited long-term research on intermittent fasting and weight loss. More research is needed to see if behavioral and metabolic changes with intermittent fasting are sustainable. The research that is out there are based on studies that are only 3-24 weeks longs. In those studies, when intermittent fasting and a standard calorie restriction approach are compared, there are comparable reductions in weight loss, insulin resistance, fasting insulin and visceral fat mass.
Any calorie restrictive program will result in weight loss. Weight loss whether by intermittent fasting or standard calorie restriction will improve insulin resistance and inflammatory markers.
Bottom line: There is no evidence to date showing that intermittent fasting is any more effective than a standard calorie restriction diet.
Medical terms explained:
Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, body fat and liver start resisting or ignoring the signal that the hormone insulin is trying to send out—which is to grab glucose out of the bloodstream and put it into our cells. Glucose, also known as blood sugar, is the body’s main source of fuel.
Visceral fat is body fat that is stored within the abdominal cavity and is therefore stored around a number of important internal organs such as the liver, pancreas and intestines.
More info here:
https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/type-2-diabetes/insulin-resistance-causes-symptoms
