Research
Energy balance
Intermittent energy restriction (including alternate day fasting) produces weight loss similar to daily continuous energy restriction over 3-6 months, with no proven metabolic benefit beyond the weight loss itself.
If you prefer intermittent fasting, it will help you lose weight just as well as eating fewer calories every day. Don't expect it to be magically better for your health or metabolism; it's just a different way to eat less.
ModerateRefutesMEDIUM confidence
The weight loss results are very similar to a 25%-30% calorie reduction every day over 3-6 mo... The suggestion there may be metabolic benefit of intermittent energy restriction is currently unproven.
Why this rating
Based on multiple studies, but the conclusion is that no metabolic benefit is proven.
Source
Assessing the evidence for weight loss strategies in people with and without type 2 diabetes
Peter Clifton · World Journal of Diabetes · 2017
DOI 10.4239/wjd.v8.i10.440
narrative_reviewCited 14×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Very low calorie diets (VLCD) produce superior short-term weight loss (approx. 4 kg more than behavioral programs) and modest long-term benefits (1.3-1.4 kg) compared to standard behavioral weight loss programs, though long-term maintenance requires adjunctive support.Good
- High protein diets (increasing protein by >5% of energy) provide a modest but statistically significant advantage in fat mass loss and triglyceride reduction compared to normal protein diets, with a small effect on total weight loss.Good
- Very low carbohydrate (VLC) diets offer short-term advantages in reducing medication use and lowering HbA1c in people with type 2 diabetes, but long-term evidence is limited to 12 months.Moderate
Related findings · Energy balance
- Achieving a total body weight loss of 10-15% (or >10-15 kg) through Total Diet Replacement (TDR) induces remission of Type 2 Diabetes in individuals with short-duration disease.Strong
- Bariatric surgery is superior to medical management alone for inducing significant long-term weight loss, remission of type 2 diabetes, and reduction in mortality for patients with BMI ≥ 40 or ≥ 35 with comorbidities.Strong
- Achieving type 2 diabetes remission requires significant weight loss (≥15 kg) via major caloric restriction, independent of macronutrient composition.Strong
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