Intermittent Fasting or Daily Caloric Restriction for Weight Loss?

Intermittent fasting, which includes time-restricted eating or fasting on specific days of the week, is a popular weight-loss strategy that might improve adherence compared with daily caloric restriction. However, four previous head-to-head trials have not shown significant weight loss with intermittent fasting (2 fasting days weekly) compared with daily calorie restriction.

In a new study, U.S. researchers randomized 165 adults to a 4:3 intermittent-fasting diet (i.e., 80% calorie reduction on 3 days weekly, and no restrictions on other days) or a traditional caloric-restriction diet (i.e., 34% reduction in calories daily). Three quarters of participants were women, mean baseline body-mass index (BMI) was 34 kg/m², and mean weight was 97 kg…