Energy balance

In healthy, normal-weight young adults, 5:2 intermittent energy restriction (IER) produces equivalent weight loss and postprandial metabolic responses to continuous energy restriction (CER), but yields superior improvements in fasting blood glucose and fasting subjective appetite scores.

If you are a healthy, normal-weight individual looking to lose weight, 5:2 intermittent fasting is just as effective as eating slightly less every day. You will lose the same amount of weight and see similar improvements in how your body handles food after meals. However, 5:2 fasting may offer a slight edge in lowering your fasting blood sugar and reducing hunger feelings when you wake up, which might help with long-term compliance for some people.