Research
Energy balance
Intermittent fasting (including 16:8 and 5:2 protocols) produces weight loss equivalent to continuous energy restriction when total caloric intake is matched.
Intermittent fasting (like 16:8 or 5:2) is an effective weight loss strategy, but only because it helps you eat fewer calories. It is not superior to eating fewer calories every day. Choose the pattern that best fits your lifestyle and helps you maintain a caloric deficit.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Compared to a continuous energy restriction, intermittent fasting leads to similar weight loss and similar improvement of cardio-metabolic parameters.
Why this rating
Supported by systematic reviews and meta-analyses of RCTs.
Source
Nutrition Concepts for the Treatment of Obesity in Adults
Meike Wiechert et al. · Nutrients · 2021
DOI 10.3390/nu14010169
narrative_reviewCited 83×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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