Fasting ‘won’t make any big difference to losing weight’

INTERMITTENT fasting makes no significant difference to weight loss compared with a normal diet, a study revealed today.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University randomly assigned 41 adults with obesity and pre-diabetes to either intermittent fasting with a 10-hour eating window or a regular eating pattern for 12 weeks to compare weight loss.

Participants in both groups received prepared meals with the same nutrients and instructions on when to consume the meals.

Researchers found that after 12 weeks, both groups lost about the same amount of weight and there were no real differences in fasting glucose, waist circumference or blood pressure.

The study’s authors said the findings suggest that fasting only induces weight loss due to a reduction in calories, but that it remains useful as a weight-loss technique as it allows patients to consume familiar foods.

Previous evidence has shown that when adults with obesity limit their eating window to four to 10 hours, they naturally reduce caloric intake by approximately 200-550 calories per day.

Intermittent fasting is a diet approach where patients limit their eating to a window of time during the day and then fast for the remaining hours.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak revealed that he fasts for 36 hours a week and consumes nothing but black coffee, tea and water between 5pm every Sunday until 5am on Tuesday morning.

200-550 reduction in calorics when obese adults limit their eating window to four to 10 hours