Research
Energy balance
Alternate-day fasting (ADF), involving alternating days of ad libitum intake and partial/complete restriction, extends lifespan in animals and improves cardiovascular and glucoregulatory biomarkers, with mixed results in humans.
If you prefer not to restrict calories every day, try Alternate-Day Fasting: eat normally one day, then restrict calories (or skip meals) the next. This may offer similar health benefits to daily restriction and might be easier to sustain for some people.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Alternate-day fasting (ADF) consists of two interchanging days; one day, subjects may consume food ad libitum... on the other day, food is reduced or withheld altogether... the life-extending benefits of ADF may rival those of CR, particularly in regard to reducing the respective risks of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease
Why this rating
Strong animal data; limited and mixed human data.
Source
Impact of caloric and dietary restriction regimens on markers of health and longevity in humans and animals: a summary of available findings
John F. Trepanowski et al. · Nutrition Journal · 2011
DOI 10.1186/1475-2891-10-107
narrative_reviewCited 203×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Caloric restriction (CR) of 20-40% below ad libitum intake, while maintaining adequate nutrient intake, improves cardiovascular and glucoregulatory biomarkers and extends lifespan in animal models, with mixed but generally favorable effects on human health markers.Good
- Protein restriction, specifically methionine restriction, increases maximum lifespan in rodents by approximately 20%, potentially accounting for half of the life-extending effects of caloric restriction.Good
- Religious fasting practices, such as Ramadan, Greek Orthodox fasting, and the Daniel Fast, have mixed effects on health biomarkers, including cardiovascular, glucoregulatory, and oxidative stress markers.Moderate
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