Energy balance
Intermittent fasting and continuous energy restriction produce similar improvements in blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol, with no statistically significant differences between the two methods.
If your goal is to lower blood pressure or improve cholesterol, you do not need to fast. Reducing your overall calorie intake through standard dieting is just as effective as intermittent fasting for these specific heart health markers. Focus on the total amount of food you eat rather than when you eat it for these outcomes.
However, similar decreases in SBP, LDL, and HDL levels were observed between IF and ER, which showed no major differences.
Why this rating
Based on meta-analysis of RCTs, but limited by high risk of bias and heterogeneity in protocols.
Source
Evaluation of the effectiveness of intermittent fasting versus caloric restriction in weight loss and improving cardiometabolic health: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Samah Omar Ali Alfahl · Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2025
DOI 10.1016/j.jtumed.2025.02.012
More from this paper
- Intermittent fasting (IF) produces a statistically significant greater reduction in Body Mass Index (BMI) compared to continuous energy restriction (ER), although the absolute difference in total body weight loss is not statistically significant.Moderate
- Intermittent fasting and continuous energy restriction produce similar improvements in fasting plasma glucose levels, with no statistically significant difference between the two methods.Moderate
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