Alternate day fasting

There is no significant difference between the alternate-day fasting method and the basic calorie-limited weight-loss method in all aspects. It does not have any advantages in terms of fasting compliance, energy intake reduction, or fat loss effect!

More and more people who are obsessed with losing weight are choosing intermittent fasting to lose weight, and alternate-day fasting is one of the more popular methods. Some current theories believe that intermittent fasting, represented by the alternate-day fasting method, can reduce weight while eliminating the need to eat only a few pieces of vegetables every day. It can also remove body waste, enhance immunity, make meat-eating people energetic and clear-minded, and achieve health and beauty effects.

In order to investigate the fat-reducing effect of alternate-day fasting and its impact on cardiovascular and metabolic indicators, and to evaluate the quality of alternate-day fasting and the basic daily calorie-limited weight-loss method, the Thomas L. Schwenk research team randomly divided 100 obese but healthy adults (average body mass index 35kg/m2, age group 44 years old, mostly women) into alternate-day fasting groups, daily low-fat diet groups, and control experiments to conduct research. First, the baseline calorie consumption level of each experimenter was measured during the January investment period, and the energy requirements under normal conditions were calculated. Then different energy intake requirements were put forward for each group for nearly a year.

Scientific data show that subjects in the alternate-day fasting group have a slightly higher chance of quitting the experiment than the other two groups. Judging from the energy intake level, within the first 6 months of the experiment, the energy intake of the alternate-day fasting group decreased by 21% compared with the baseline level, while the daily low-fat diet group decreased by 24%. From the perspective of weight loss, intention-to-treat analysis showed that the subjects in the two intervention groups lost about 5% of their fat after 1 year of the experiment, while the control experiment showed a slight weight gain. There was no significant difference between the two intervention groups in terms of risk factors for some cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and metabolic diseases.

The results of this scientific study show that there is no significant difference between the alternate-day fasting method and the basic calorie-limited weight-loss method in various aspects, and there is no advantage in terms of fasting compliance, energy intake reduction, or fat loss effect. Judging from existing work experience, fasting may also lead to adverse effects such as endocrine imbalance, malnutrition, anorexia, overeating, and depression. In comparison, it is more "reliable" to control your diet every day.