5:2 better for health than just counting calories

THE 5:2 diet — where you eat what you want for five days a week and 500 or 600 calories for the other two — has more health benefits than regular calorie-counting, according to the British Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers from the University of Surrey told 27 people to follow either the 5:2 diet or a calorierestricted diet (1,400 a day for women; 1,900 for men), in a bid to lose 5% of their weight.

Those on the 5:2 not only lost weight faster, but had more significant reductions in blood pressure, while their bodies also digested fat quicker after a meal. It’s not clear why.