Effects of Intermittent Fasting in Human Compared to a Non-intervention Diet and Caloric Restriction: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Overview

Journal Front Nutr

Specialty Nutritional Sciences

Date 2022 May 19

PMID 35586738

Authors

Lihu Gu

Rongrong Fu

Jiaze Hong

Haixiang Ni

Kepin Yu

Haiying Lou

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The popularity of applying intermittent fasting (IF) has increased as more and more people are trying to avoid or alleviate obesity and metabolic disease. This study aimed to systematically explore the effects of various IF in humans.

Methods: The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to IF vs. non-intervention diet or caloric restriction (CR) were retrieved in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library database, and Embase. Extraction outcomes included, but were not limited to, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fasting glucose, and triglyceride (TG).

Results: This study includes 43 RCTs with 2,483 participants. The intervention time was at least 1 month, and the median intervention time was 3 months. Contrasting results between IF and non-intervention diet showed that participants had lower weight (weighted mean difference (WMD) = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.09-2.12, = 0.03) and BMI after IF (WMD = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.08-0.68, = 0.01). The WC of participants after IF decreased significantly compared with the non-intervention diet (WMD = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.06-1.99, = 0.04). IF regulated fat mass (FM) more effectively than non-intervention diet (WMD = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.17-1.31, = 0.01). The fat-free mass of people after IF was higher (WMD = -0.73, 95% CI: (-1.45)-(-0.02), = 0.05). There was no difference in fasting blood glucose concentrations between participants in the after IF and non-intervention diet groups. The results of insulin concentrations and HOMA-IR, though, indicated that IF was significantly more beneficial than non-intervention diet (standard mean difference (SMD) = -0.21, 95% CI: 0.02-0.40, = 0.03, and WMD = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.04-0.65, = 0.03, respectively). Cholesterol and TG concentrations in participants after IF were also lower than that after a nonintervention diet (SMD = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.09-0.35, = 0.001 and SMD = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.00-0.26, = 0.05, respectively). IF outcomes did not differ from CR except for reduced WC.

Conclusion: Intermittent fasting was more beneficial in reducing body weight, WC, and FM without affecting lean mass compared to the non-intervention diet. IF also effectively improved insulin resistance and blood lipid conditions compared with non-intervention diets. However, IF showed less benefit over CR.

Citing Articles

The research progress and prospects of circadian rhythm in obesity: a bibliometric analysis.

Dou Y, Guo X, Wang X, He A, Li F, Gao K Front Nutr. 2025; 11():1499984.

PMID: 39839286 PMC: 11745893. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1499984.

The Gut Microbiome's Influence on Incretins and Impact on Blood Glucose Control.

Dulai A, Min M, Sivamani R Biomedicines. 2025; 12(12.

PMID: 39767626 PMC: 11727616. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12122719.

Efficacy of intermittent fasting on improving liver function in individuals with metabolic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Khalafi M, Rosenkranz S, Ghasemi F, Kheradmand S, Habibi Maleki A, Korivi M Nutr Metab (Lond). 2025; 22(1):1.

PMID: 39762987 PMC: 11706068. DOI: 10.1186/s12986-024-00885-x.

Intermittent fasting reduces inflammation and joint damage in a murine model of rheumatoid arthritis: insights from transcriptomic and metagenomic analyses.

Cuevas-Martinez R, Gonzalez-Chavez S, Bermudez M, Salas-Leiva J, Vazquez-Olvera G, Hinojos-Gallardo L BMC Rheumatol. 2024; 8(1):64.

PMID: 39587696 PMC: 11587710. DOI: 10.1186/s41927-024-00436-0.

Effects of different types of intermittent fasting on metabolic outcomes: an umbrella review and network meta-analysis.

Chen Y, Tsai H, Tu Y, Chen L BMC Med. 2024; 22(1):529.

PMID: 39533312 PMC: 11559166. DOI: 10.1186/s12916-024-03716-1.

References

Gabel K, Kroeger C, Trepanowski J, Hoddy K, Cienfuegos S, Kalam F . Differential Effects of Alternate-Day Fasting Versus Daily Calorie Restriction on Insulin Resistance. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2019; 27(9):1443-1450. PMC: 7138754. DOI: 10.1002/oby.22564. View

Omodei D, Fontana L . Calorie restriction and prevention of age-associated chronic disease. FEBS Lett. 2011; 585(11):1537-42. PMC: 3439843. DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2011.03.015. View

Challet E . The circadian regulation of food intake. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2019; 15(7):393-405. DOI: 10.1038/s41574-019-0210-x. View

Tinsley G, Forsse J, Butler N, Paoli A, Bane A, La Bounty P . Time-restricted feeding in young men performing resistance training: A randomized controlled trial. Eur J Sport Sci. 2016; 17(2):200-207. DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2016.1223173. View

Linden Hirschberg A . Sex hormones, appetite and eating behaviour in women. Maturitas. 2012; 71(3):248-56. DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2011.12.016. View

Martinez-Rodriguez A, Rubio-Arias J, Garcia-De Frutos J, Vicente-Martinez M, Gunnarsson T . Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training and Intermittent Fasting on Body Composition and Physical Performance in Active Women. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(12). PMC: 8296247. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18126431. View

Bhutani S, Klempel M, Kroeger C, Trepanowski J, Varady K . Alternate day fasting and endurance exercise combine to reduce body weight and favorably alter plasma lipids in obese humans. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013; 21(7):1370-9. DOI: 10.1002/oby.20353. View

Mattson M, Allison D, Fontana L, Harvie M, Longo V, Malaisse W . Meal frequency and timing in health and disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014; 111(47):16647-53. PMC: 4250148. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1413965111. View

Martens C, Rossman M, Mazzo M, Jankowski L, Nagy E, Denman B . Short-term time-restricted feeding is safe and feasible in non-obese healthy midlife and older adults. Geroscience. 2020; 42(2):667-686. PMC: 7206473. DOI: 10.1007/s11357-020-00156-6. View

10.

Carlson O, Martin B, Stote K, Golden E, Maudsley S, Najjar S . Impact of reduced meal frequency without caloric restriction on glucose regulation in healthy, normal-weight middle-aged men and women. Metabolism. 2007; 56(12):1729-34. PMC: 2121099. DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2007.07.018. View

11.

Hirsh S, Pons M, Joyal S, Swick A . Avoiding holiday seasonal weight gain with nutrient-supported intermittent energy restriction: a pilot study. J Nutr Sci. 2019; 8:e11. PMC: 6436006. DOI: 10.1017/jns.2019.8. View

12.

Corley B, Carroll R, Hall R, Weatherall M, Parry-Strong A, Krebs J . Intermittent fasting in Type 2 diabetes mellitus and the risk of hypoglycaemia: a randomized controlled trial. Diabet Med. 2018; 35(5):588-594. DOI: 10.1111/dme.13595. View

13.

Redman L, Martin C, Williamson D, Ravussin E . Effect of caloric restriction in non-obese humans on physiological, psychological and behavioral outcomes. Physiol Behav. 2008; 94(5):643-8. PMC: 2535933. DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.04.017. View

14.

Trabelsi K, Stannard S, Ghlissi Z, Maughan R, Kallel C, Jamoussi K . Effect of fed- versus fasted state resistance training during Ramadan on body composition and selected metabolic parameters in bodybuilders. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013; 10(1):23. PMC: 3639860. DOI: 10.1186/1550-2783-10-23. View

15.

Catenacci V, Pan Z, Ostendorf D, Brannon S, Gozansky W, Mattson M . A randomized pilot study comparing zero-calorie alternate-day fasting to daily caloric restriction in adults with obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2016; 24(9):1874-83. PMC: 5042570. DOI: 10.1002/oby.21581. View

16.

Moro T, Tinsley G, Bianco A, Marcolin G, Pacelli Q, Battaglia G . Effects of eight weeks of time-restricted feeding (16/8) on basal metabolism, maximal strength, body composition, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk factors in resistance-trained males. J Transl Med. 2016; 14(1):290. PMC: 5064803. DOI: 10.1186/s12967-016-1044-0. View

17.

Liberati A, Altman D, Tetzlaff J, Mulrow C, Gotzsche P, Ioannidis J . The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate healthcare interventions: explanation and elaboration. BMJ. 2009; 339:b2700. PMC: 2714672. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.b2700. View

18.

Qasim A, Turcotte M, de Souza R, Samaan M, Champredon D, Dushoff J . On the origin of obesity: identifying the biological, environmental and cultural drivers of genetic risk among human populations. Obes Rev. 2017; 19(2):121-149. DOI: 10.1111/obr.12625. View

19.

Mohd Fahmi Teng N, Shahar S, Manaf Z, Das S, Taha C, Wan Ngah W . Efficacy of fasting calorie restriction on quality of life among aging men. Physiol Behav. 2011; 104(5):1059-64. DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.07.007. View

20.

Conley M, Le Fevre L, Haywood C, Proietto J . Is two days of intermittent energy restriction per week a feasible weight loss approach in obese males? A randomised pilot study. Nutr Diet. 2017; 75(1):65-72. DOI: 10.1111/1747-0080.12372. View