Alternate day fasting is no better for weight loss than conventional diets, study finds

Fasting on alternate days to lose weight seems no more effective than reducing the daily intake of calories, a study in JAMA Internal Medicine concludes.1

Alternate day fasting involves a “fast” day, when people are allowed to consume around 500 kcal, alternated with a “feast” day, when they can eat what they like. It has become increasingly popular during the past decade, with several bestselling diet books promoting this approach.

The randomised trial included 100 metabolically healthy obese adults with a mean body mass index of 34 and a mean age of 44. The participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups for a year: …