Effects of Different Types of Intermittent Fasting Interventions on Metabolic Health in Healthy Individuals (EDIF): A Randomised Trial with a Controlled-Run in Phase - PubMed (original) (raw)

Randomized Controlled Trial

. 2024 Apr 10;16(8):1114.

doi: 10.3390/nu16081114.

Sebastian Karl 1, Johannes Weiß 1, Paul Zimmermann 1 2 3, Sandra Haupt 1 4, Rebecca Tanja Zimmer 1, Janis Schierbauer 1, Nadine Bianca Wachsmuth 1, Maximilian Paul Erlmann 1, Tobias Niedrist 5, Kayvan Khoramipour 6, Thomas Voit 1, Sian Rilstone 1 7, Harald Sourij 8, Othmar Moser 1 8

Affiliations

Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of Different Types of Intermittent Fasting Interventions on Metabolic Health in Healthy Individuals (EDIF): A Randomised Trial with a Controlled-Run in Phase

Daniel Herz et al. Nutrients. 2024.

Abstract

The effects of intermittent fasting (IF) on health promotion in the healthy population remain controversial. Therefore, our study aimed to analyse the efficacy and feasibility of different IF protocols and evaluated the effects within a cohort with a controlled-run in phase on the body mass index (BMI) as the primary outcome, the body composition, and metabolic and haematological markers in healthy participants. A total of 25 individuals were randomised into three fasting groups: 16/8 fasting (n = 11), 20/4 fasting (n = 6), and alternate-day fasting (ADF, n = 8). Assessments were conducted at baseline (visit 1), after a four-week controlled-run in phase (visit 2), and after eight weeks of fasting (visit 3). Both the BMI (p = 0.01) and bodyweight (p = 0.01) were significantly reduced in the ADF group, which was not seen in the 16/8 and 20/4 groups (p > 0.05). Adherence was different but not statistically among the groups (16/8: 84.5 ± 23.0%; 20/4: 92.7 ± 9.5%; and ADF: 78.1 ± 33.5%, p = 0.57). Based on our obtained results, the data suggest that some fasting interventions might be promising for metabolic health. However, adherence to the specific fasting protocols remains challenging even for the healthy population.

Keywords: anthropometry; body mass index; metabolism; time-restricted feeding; weight loss.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Study flow chart of the EDIF trial, including a controlled-run in phase of four weeks (visit 1 to visit 2) and an interventional phase follow-up of eight weeks (visit 2 to visit 3) after randomisation to the three IF intervention groups: 16/8 fasting, 20/4 fasting, and ADF. Abbreviations: BIA = bioelectrical impedance analysis.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Flow chart considering study-specific features. Abbreviations: 16/8 = fasting for 16 h and eating for the remaining 8 h as time-restricted feeding periods; 20/4 = fasting for 20 h and eating for the remaining 4 h as time-restricted feeding periods; ADF = alternate-day fasting; BMI = body mass index.

Figure 3

Figure 3

Δ BMI differences of the respective groups during the fasting periods. ns: not significant (p > 0.05). _p_-value: * statistically significant (p < 0.05). Abbreviation: BMI = body mass index.

References

    1. World Obesity Atlas 2023|World Obesity Federation. [(accessed on 18 September 2023)]. Available online: https://www.worldobesity.org/resources/resource-library/world-obesity-at....
    1. World Health Organization Obesity and Overweight. [(accessed on 24 March 2023)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight.
    1. St-Onge M.P., Ard J., Baskin M.L., Chiuve S.E., Johnson H.M., Kris-Etherton P., Varady K. Meal Timing and Frequency: Implications for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2017;135:e96–e121. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000476. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Welton S., Minty R., O’Driscoll T., Willms H., Poirier D., Madden S., Kelly L. Intermittent Fasting and Weight Loss: Systematic Review. Can. Fam. Physician. 2020;66:117. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Byrne N.M., Sainsbury A., King N.A., Hills A.P., Wood R.E. Intermittent Energy Restriction Improves Weight Loss Efficiency in Obese Men: The MATADOR Study. Int. J. Obes. 2018;42:129–138. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2017.206. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources