Research

Hormonal

Intermittent energy restriction (IER) improves insulin sensitivity (reduces fasting insulin and HOMA-IR) in non-diabetic populations compared to continuous energy restriction (CER).

For non-diabetic individuals, IER may offer metabolic benefits beyond weight loss, specifically improving insulin sensitivity. This is achieved by lowering fasting insulin levels. If you have diabetes, consult a doctor to adjust medications before starting IER to prevent hypoglycemia.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Sensitivity analysis showed a significant reduction in fasting insulin (WMD: −1.14 μU/mL; 95% CI: −1.81 to −0.47; P = 0.0008) and HOMA-IR (WMD: −0.22 mmol/L × µU/mL; 95% CI: −0.40 to −0.04; P = 0.02) with IER.
Shasha He et al. · Obesity · 2020

Why this rating

High heterogeneity in insulin/HOMA-IR data; sensitivity analysis required excluding one study to achieve significance.

Source

Intermittent Versus Continuous Energy Restriction for Weight Loss and Metabolic Improvement: A Meta‐Analysis and Systematic Review

Shasha He et al. · Obesity · 2020

DOI 10.1002/oby.23023

Meta-analysis · 11 studiesCited 56×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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