Research shows that intermittent fasting can be more effective than dieting

Research shows that intermittent fasting can be more effective than dieting

Losing weight is usually difficult for most people. In addition to controlling your diet, you also need to monitor your blood sugar levels, which is essential, for example, for those living with diabetes.

Most diets involve food restrictions and calorie counting. But according to several studies, controlling the weather can be more effective than controlling your food!

Recent discoveries about intermittent fasting




This is the idea behind intermittent fasting: it is based on the principle of practicing a diet with prolonged fasting periods, between 16 and 24 hours, during which you can only drink water and non-caloric drinks. A recent study, published in October 2023 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), reinforces the idea that time-based fasting may be more effective for weight loss than calorie restriction.

The study, conducted by doctors and other researchers at the University of Chicago, hypothesized that intermittent fasting might be more effective at fasting and controlling blood sugar than a low-calorie diet for people with type 2 diabetes, which is been confirmed.

A comparison was made between data from 75 participants, aged between 18 and 80, all of whom had type 2 diabetes and were overweight. Subsequently, they were divided into three groups that would follow different practices: the first would do intermittent fasting, but only for 8 hours, while the second would reduce their calorie intake by 25% and the third would maintain their eating routine without changes.

The results



(Source: Getty Images)

What emerged was that the fasting group had the most significant weight loss, with some participants losing 6% of their total weight. The group that restricted calories had an average loss of 2%.

There’s another interesting finding: The participants who fasted also reduced their diet by about 300 calories per day on average. In other words, those on intermittent fasting tended to cut down about 100 calories more than those on a controlled diet. However, this occurred without them monitoring what they ate.

Fasting has also been helpful in reducing glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and controlling glucose. But this group was also found to adhere to the time-controlled eating plan an average of six days a week, with one day off.

For Dr. Krista Varady, of the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the study demonstrates that “time-restricted eating can be an effective alternative to the traditional diet for people who are unable to follow the traditional diet, or are tired. For many people trying to lose weight, counting time is easier than counting calories.”

please note it any such practice must be monitored by a doctor specializing in nutrition. Eating an uncontrolled diet if you have previous health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, can be extremely dangerous to your health.

Source: Terra

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