Intermittent fasting lowered weight, while other outcomes were mixed
In adults with overweight or obesity, fasting diets reduced body weight compared with control diets. Other measurements were mixed, and studies were generally short and varied.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Compared with control diets, intermittent fasting lowered body weight in adults with overweight or obesity. Some cholesterol measures and the lower blood-pressure reading also improved. However, the upper blood-pressure reading and blood sugar measures showed no statistically significant effects. Short studies and differing results limit conclusions about lasting changes and safety.
Most studies were short and results varied substantially. The abstract does not establish sustained benefits or safety, and it does not fully describe the control diets.
What researchers found
Body weight
Fasting versus control diets across varying trial durations. Pooled mean difference: -3.73 kg (95% confidence interval: -5.29 to -2.17 kg).
Blood fats differed over time
Shorter interventions were linked to higher triglycerides, a type of blood fat, while longer interventions showed different blood-fat results. This duration analysis does not by itself prove that continuing fasting reverses an early rise.
Weight was not every outcome
The review measured weight alongside cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. A favorable weight result therefore should not be read as improvement across all these measures; statistically unclear findings also do not prove that effects are absent.
The original publication
The impact of intermittent fasting on body composition and cardiometabolic outcomes in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Wang B, Wang C, Li H
Nutr J · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40731344
- Record checked
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