Clock-watchers’ diet may not help you lose weight

IT has been hailed as the key to staying slim by stars including Jennifer Aniston.

But intermittent fasting does not actually help you lose weight, according to a study.

The trendy diet involves fasting for 16 hours a day, and only eating during the remaining eight hours.

Those following the plan – also known as the 16:8 or 8-hour diet – tend to eat only between noon and 8pm, fasting overnight and skipping breakfast. Advocates claim that fasting, as well as helping with weight loss, can prevent diabetes and heart disease by lowering levels of sugar and fat in the blood.

A trial, led by the University of California, followed 141 people over 12 weeks. They were split into two groups – either eating only between 12pm and 8pm or having three meals a day. Researchers found that following the 16:8 diet did not significantly aid weight loss, but did cause a drop in lean muscle mass. The authors said: ‘ In contrast to our hypothesis, there was no greater weight loss with timerestricted eating compared with the consistent meal timing.’

Both groups lost weight over the three-month study. Fasting participants lost on average 2lb 3oz more, but the authors said this was not significant. They lost 3lb 12oz overall, but 65 per cent of this was muscle loss, compared to 25 per cent on a normal diet.

Blood tests also found few differences between the groups in terms of changes to cholesterol, blood sugar levels and insulin levels. There is a growing body of research into the benefits of intermittent fasting, after the diet has soared in popularity over the past decade. Friends star Miss Aniston, 51, said last year that fasting had made ‘a big difference’ to her life. Although this study suggests fasting is not particularly effective, previous research found benefits for high blood pressure, obesity and insulin resistance.