A new study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Chicago suggests that daily fasting is an effective tool in reducing a person's weight. The researchers state that daily fasting can also lower blood pressure.
16:8
The study, which was published in the journal Nutrition and Healthy Aging, was the first in examining the effect of "time-restricted eating" on obese or overweight individuals. Time-restricted-eating is a form of fasting that restricts food consumption during certain hours of each day. The researchers of the study worked with 23 obese participants that had an average BMI (body mass index) of 35 and were the age of 45 years old.
The participants could eat any type and quantity of food between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm, but could only drink water or calorie-free drinks for the remaining 6 hours of the day. The study followed the volunteers for 12 weeks. This is known as the 16:8 diet as participants would only eat for 8 hours but fast for 16 hours.
Researchers compared their findings with a previous weight loss control group that followed a different fasting and discovered that the participants who followed the time-restricted-eating diet ate fewer calories, lost weight, and their blood pressure improved. Participants who consumed 350 calories had lost about 3 percent of their body weight and their systolic blood pressure had decreased by 7 millimeters of mercury.
The researchers' noted that the participants in their study had the same measures of insulin resistance, cholesterol, and fat mass similar to the control group.
A New Way To Prevent Obesity
Krista Varady, the corresponding author on the study, stated that the results from this study show that there are new ways to lose weight that does not include counting calories or eliminating certain foods. Varady continued that the results are similar to previous studies on other intermittent fasting diets.
"The 16:8 diet is another tool for weight loss that we now have preliminary scientific evidence to support. When it comes to weight loss, people need to find what works for them because even small amounts of success can lead to improvements in metabolic health," Varady wrote.
The CDC states that more than one-third of adults in America are obese or overweight. Obesity can lead to severe health issue including, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The CDC has also stated the obesity is most common among non-Hispanic Blacks and people who are middle-aged.
