Research
Adherence
Adherence to intermittent fasting regimens is generally high (>80%) in short-term studies (≤3 months) but drops significantly in long-term studies (>3 months).
Intermittent fasting is easy to stick to for the first 3 months, but adherence drops significantly thereafter. If you plan to fast long-term, expect a drop in adherence and consider modified approaches (like MADF) to sustain it.
GoodQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Compliance was generally high (>80%) in trials shorter than 3 months. In the longer-term studies (>3 months), adherence was generally lower than for the short-term studies, ranging from 8% [16] to 73% [28].
Why this rating
Data extracted from 12 studies reporting adherence.
Source
A meta‐analysis comparing the effectiveness of alternate day fasting, the 5:2 diet, and time‐restricted eating for weight loss
Paloma Elortegui Pascual et al. · Obesity · 2022
Meta-analysis · 24 studiesCited 129×
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