In the past few years, there has been a spike in the popularity of intermittent fasting as a means to lose weight. Whether it’s only eating during a set period of the day, or fasting on certain days of the week, many overweight adults have taken to this new approach to reduce their weight.

However, according to a recent review, researchers say that this popular practice likely makes “little to no difference” in terms of weight loss and quality of life. 

A research team looked at a total of 22 studies involving around 2,oo0 adults, and reviewed the data collected. From the information they believe that intermittent fasting, in comparison to traditional dieting advice such as eating healthier, made little to no difference in adults weight loss over time.  

While the researchers are moderately confident on their conclusions from the data, they are less confident on the accuracy of the studies they interpreted. Most of the studies they pulled their information from used a small number of people, making it difficult to determine if the results are entirely accurate.

The review of intermittent fasting stated that more information is needed on other aspects of people’s health, as well as its impact on men and women separately since they tend to have different BMIs. 

Dr. Baptist Leurent, associate professor in medical statistics at University College London emphasized how the rise in popularity of intermittent fasting is “another example of misalignment between public perception and and scientific evidence.”

Intermittent fasting has widely been promoted as a way to lose weight because people inaccurately claim it has ‘special effects on metabolism’

While fasting may not provide a pathway to weight loss, it has been linked to a lower cholesterol and improved gut health, although more research is needed before researchers can make any conclusion. 

For now, adults looking to lose weight may want to avoid intermittent fasting and instead turn to healthier eating.