Intermittent Fasting: Is It The Most Effective Weight Loss System?

Scientists compared many different types of diets to see which was most effective.

Scientists compared many different types of diets to see which was most effective.

Many of the most popular diets are just as effective as each other, a large review of research concludes.

Whether it is low-carb, low-fat, Mediterranean or intermittent fasting, dieters lose about the same amount of weight, on average.

However, the Mediterranean and DASH diets also provide the highest protection against heart disease, the scientists found.

Some diets work much better for particular people.

It is partly down to which diet you can stick to, along with genetics and health status.

So, the key is to try different diets until hitting on one that suits.

Dr George A. Bray, the study’s first author, said:

“Individual weight loss approaches worked well for some people and not for others.

Currently, we have limited genetic and other information to predict which intervention will work for a given individual.

This demonstrates just how complex the problem of severe obesity is.”

The conclusions come from a massive, comprehensive review of the research on many different ways of losing weight.

Including over 400 studies on all types of weight loss interventions, only surgery proved a markedly more effective option than the rest.

Different diets and behavioural interventions were modestly successful, on average.

Modest success, however, is not what people want, said Dr Bray:

“There often is a mismatch between the patient’s cosmetic goals and what can realistically be achieved with diet and exercise.

While a modest 5 percent to 10 percent weight loss can yield significant health benefits, that may not provide the cosmetic changes patients seek.”

There was little evidence that dietary supplements — which are not evaluated by the FDA — can aid weight loss.

Dr Bray said:

“Effectively treating obesity is crucial if we are going to be able to address the devastating impact diabetes and cardiovascular disease have on public health.

We are seeing promising research into diabetes medications linked to weight loss, the use of peptides to enhance weight loss, and improved techniques for modulating the way food moves through the digestive system and is absorbed into the body.

As our scientific understanding of obesity continues to improve, we hope this will lead to the discovery of new treatment approaches.”

The study was published in the journal Endocrine Reviews (Bray et al., 2018).

Intermittent Fasting: How It Compares To Calorie-Restriction For Weight Loss

Both techniques lead to people losing 5 percent of their body weight.

Both techniques lead to people losing 5 percent of their body weight.

Two of the most popular ways of losing weight are similarly effective, research shows.

Both intermittent fasting and a standard calorie-restricted diet work equally well.

The diets led to reductions of 5 percent of body weight in the current study, as well as improvements to general health.

The researchers say that choosing between them is a matter of personal taste.

Intermittent fasting involves using regular breaks in dieting, sometimes for a couple of days, in other diets for as much as a week.

A normal diet, in contrast, simply involves dieting continuously.

For the study, 150 overweight and obese people were split into two groups and put on either the intermittent fasting diet or a continuous calorie-restricted diet.

For the intermittent diet, people restricted their calories on just two days of the week to only 25 percent of what they would normally eat.

The other group restricted their calories to 80 percent of what they would normally eat every day.

So, both groups were eating roughly the same amount of calories in total.

Dr Ruth Schübel, the study’s first author, said:

“There are in fact only a few smaller studies on intermittent fasting so far, but they have come up with strikingly positive effects for metabolic health.

This made us curious and we intended to find out whether these effects can also be proven in a larger patient group and over a prolonged period.”

The results showed that both groups lost 5 percent of their body weight across almost a year.

Dr Schübel explained:

“In participants of both group, body weight and, along with it, visceral fat, or unhealthy belly fat, were lost and extra fat in the liver reduced.”

Intermittent fasting may suit some people better, said Dr Tilman Kühn, study co-author:

“In addition, for some people it seems to be easier to be very disciplined on two days instead of counting calories and limiting food every day.

But in order to keep the new body weight, people must also permanently switch to a balanced diet following DGE [The German Nutrition Society] recommendations.”

The study was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Schübel et al., 2018).

Intermittent Fasting Tested: Alternate Day Fasting vs. 5:2 Diet vs. Time-Restricted Eating

What form of intermittent fasting is the best: alternate day fasting, the 5:2 diet, or time-restricted eating?

What form of intermittent fasting is the best: alternate day fasting, the 5:2 diet, or time-restricted eating?

Intermittent fasting, which comes in several types, causes mild to moderate weight loss, reduces blood pressure, blood sugar levels, triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

This pattern of eating can improve microbial gut diversity and help people eat less throughout the day.

But which is the best type of intermittent fasting?

A group of researchers reviewed 25 studies on three forms of intermittent fasting:

  • Time-restricted eating: an eating window of 8 to 12 hours and fasting during the remaining hours each day.
  • 5:2 diet: five days eating normally and two days fasting with restricting the food intake to 500 calories.
  • Alternate day fasting: fasting on every other day with restricting the food intake to 500 calories.

The studies reported that those who follow a time-restricted eating regime noticed 3 percent weight loss.

While alternate day fasting produced 3 to 8 percent weight loss within three to eight weeks.

The weight loss results for the 5:2 diet group are similar to alternate day fasting, the finding is surprising as people on the 5:2 diet fasted much less than those who did alternate-day fasting.

The 5:2 diet and alternate day fasting produces similar weight loss results to regular dieting such as low-calorie diets.

Professor Krista Varady, the study’s first author, said:

“We noted that intermittent fasting is not better than regular dieting; both produce the same amount of weight loss and similar changes in blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammation.”

Moreover, people on any of these two intermittent fasting regimens have been found to maintain 7 percent weight loss over a year.

Professor Varady said:

“You’re fooling your body into eating a little bit less and that’s why people are losing weight.”

The review includes some practical advice for individuals who may consider an intermittent fasting regimen.

Side-effects, such as dizziness, constipation, and headaches will drop within one or two weeks of fasting.

Drinking more water can reduce headaches due to dehydration.

  • Exercise: Moderate to high-intensity activity is possible as some participants reported that exercise gives them more energy during the fasting hours. Though, it is recommended to have the fasting meal after exercise.
  • What to eat: Make sure you eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains as they are high in fibre, which eases constipation.
  • Avoid alcohol and caffeine: Alcohol and caffeinated energy drinks are high in calories and can cause headaches due to dehydration.
  • Who should avoid fasting: Those with a BMI less than 18.5, those with eating disorders, those who need to take their medicine with a meal at regular times, children under 12, pregnant or lactating women, and shift workers.

Professor Varady said:

“People love intermittent fasting because it’s easy.

People need to find diets that they can stick to long term.

It’s definitely effective for weight loss and it’s gained popularity because there are no special foods or apps necessary.

You can also combine it with other diets, like Keto.”

The study was published in the Annual Review of Nutrition (Varady et al., 2021).

An Effective Weight Loss Therapy That Works

An effective therapy that changes your eating habits and helps you lose weight.

An effective therapy that changes your eating habits and helps you lose weight.

Intensive behavioural therapy is a treatment for obesity in which dietitians and nutritionists help patients to change their poor eating habits.

This treatment works very well as adults lose weight after each session they attend, a new study shows.

Around 40 percent of American adults are obese and at high risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and certain cancers associated with obesity.

The research reviewed the outcome of intensive behavioural therapy sessions conducted by registered dietitians and nutritionists on 2,097 obese females.

Intensive behavioural therapy for obesity (IBTO) caused considerable improvements as patients in the treatment group lost 1.22 lbs (0.5 kg) per visit.

Whereas patients in the control group who didn’t undergo the therapy sessions gained more weight.

Patients in the treatment group also took prescription drugs for a shorter time and on average 6 days less compared to the control group.

In addition to the weight loss, patients who did IBTO saw a decline in their body mass index (BMI) and blood sugar.

The first month of the IBTO treatment consisted of a once a week session with a registered dietitian.

For the next six months, the therapy sessions were every two weeks and thereafter once a month for the rest of year if the patient lost 3 kg weight within the first 6 months of therapy.

During the therapy they talked about diet, behavioural and lifestyle changes including increases in physical activity.

The dietitians and patients discussed health risks and factors influencing their decision making.

At each session the dietitians provided clear and certain recommendations tailored for their patients.

Both patients and dietitians went through the options to see which method and goal was achievable.

They also discussed any progress and challenges throughout the follow-up meetings.

Dr Lauren Sastre, study co-author, said:

“We are excited about our findings, which demonstrated registered dietitian nutritionist delivered intensive behavioral therapy for obesity to Medicare beneficiaries is effective and beneficial for patients.

This particularly important in light of the growing pressure on providers to track and demonstrate improved Medicare patient outcomes, which include weight status.”

The study was published in the journal of Family Practice (Jacobs et al., 2020).

14 Popular Weight Loss Diets — Study Reveals The Best

These popular diets can promote weight loss and boost heart health for a period of time.

These popular diets can promote weight loss and boost heart health for a period of time.

Most popular weight loss diets can lead to modest reductions in both weight and cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, a study has found.

Low carbohydrate diets like Atkins and Zone, macro diets like Mediterranean and DASH, and low fat diets such as the Ornish diet, all support weight reduction to some extent.

Researchers suggest that most weight loss diets will have some short-term weight loss effects up to six months so people should choose what diet suits them most and not to worry that other diets might be better.

The weight loss effect of popular named diets appears to diminish at the 12-month point.

Except for the Mediterranean diet in lowering ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, the cardiovascular health effects will lessen at 12 months for all popular named diets.

Since 1975, obesity has tripled globally, consequently pushing society to promote any dietary program that can improve heart health or grab any weight loss plan.

Hence the study compares different diets to see their impact on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factors including cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.

The team analysed data from 121 trials with nearly 22,000 overweight or obese adult participants who either followed a usual diet or one of 14 popular diets including Atkins, Portfolio, DASH, Mediterranean, Ornish, Biggest Loser, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Zone, Paleolithic, Slimming World, Rosemary Conley, South Beach, and Volumetrics.

In comparison to a usual diet, low fat and low carbohydrate diets showed a reduction of 4 to 5 kg in weight and a modest drop in blood pressure over six months.

The weight loss and blood pressure lowering effect was slightly less for the macro diets group.

People in the Zone, Atkins and DASH group lost between 3.5 and 5.5 kg, suggesting these diets had the largest weight loss effect and greatest impact on lowering blood pressure.

The LDL cholesterol reduction was at the highest for the Mediterranean diet, while dietary advice, Ornish, Biggest Loser, DASH, and a low fat diet were no better than a usual diet in lowering ‘bad’ cholesterol.

The authors wrote:

“The extensive range of popular diets analysed, provides a plethora of choice but no clear winner.”

They advise that we need to focus on how to maintain weight loss instead of discussing what dietary pattern is best.

Unfortunately, most people take no notice of national dietary guidelines that encourage the public to drink less alcohol and soft drinks, reduce salt and sugar intakes, and eat more whole grains, vegetables, and legumes.

The authors concluded:

“If we are to change the weight trajectory of whole populations, we may learn more from understanding how commercial diet companies engage and retain their customers, and translate that knowledge into more effective health promotion campaigns.”

The study was published in the BMJ (Ge et al., 2020).

Weight Loss: Why Some People Are Hungry All The Time

Those who experience this after their meals feel hungrier and consume more calories than others.

Those who experience this after their meals feel hungrier and consume more calories than others.

People whose blood sugar level drop too low after their meals experience nearly a 10 percent rise in hunger compared to those whose blood sugar dips less, a study suggests.

Big dippers are more likely to feel hungry two or three hours after a meal and eat hundreds of extra calories each day.

Scientist think personal metabolism is the reason why some people keep putting weight on, even if they go on a controlled diet.

A nutritional research team collected data on blood sugar levels and other health markers of 1,070 adults after their standardized breakfasts.

Participants had muffins for breakfast, which contained the same calories but were different in make-up regarding fat, carbohydrates, protein, and fibre.

They also had an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to check how well the body responds to sugar.

During the two week study period, subjects’ blood sugar levels were measured by continuous glucose monitors (CGM).

How many times they were hungry, what and when they ate through the day were all recorded on an app.

The team noticed that some participants experienced glucose dips two to four hours after their meal (mild hypoglycemia).

The results suggest that those with big dips in blood sugar levels, despite having the same meals as little dippers, saw a nine percent increase in appetite and ate their next meal half an hour earlier than the others.

Also compared to little dippers, big dippers consumed 75 more calories a few hours after their breakfast and 312 more calories throughout the day.

Consuming these amounts of calories would eventually cause people to put on 20 pound (9 kg) in a year.

Professor Ana Valdes, the study’s leader said:

“Many people struggle to lose weight and keep it off, and just a few hundred extra calories every day can add up to several pounds of weight gain over a year.

Our discovery that the size of sugar dips after eating has such a big impact on hunger and appetite has great potential for helping people understand and control their weight and long-term health.”

In this study, men experienced slightly bigger dips than women.

Everybody experienced some day-to-day variability in the dip sizes, even after having the same meals, suggesting differences in metabolism, gut flora and, activity levels are the key parameters.

Therefore, eating the right foods helps each individual’s unique biology to feel satiated longer and eat fewer calories.

Professor Tim Spector, study co-author, said:

 “Food is complex and humans are complicated, but our research is finally starting to open up the black box between diet and health.

We’re excited to have been able to turn this cutting-edge science into an at-home nutrition and microbiome test so that everyone has the opportunity to discover their unique responses to food to best support their metabolism and gut health.”

The study was published in the journal Nature Metabolism (Wyatt et al., 2021).

2 Activities Combined That Double Weight Loss

A combination of these two activities reduces blood pressure and body weight by twice as much.

A combination of these two activities reduces blood pressure and body weight by twice as much.

Aerobic exercise and yoga together lead to double the weight loss, a study reveals.

The combination also lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels by twice as much as doing aerobic exercise or yoga only.

Physical activity and diet interventions have been shown to help heart disease patients and even lower the risk of death when used alongside medical treatments.

The study examined the effect of Indian yoga when combined with aerobics in obese people with type 2 diabetes who also suffered from heart disease.

Yoga is a physical workout and mental practice, while aerobic training is a physical exercise with higher intensity which improves blood flow and cardiovascular fitness.

They divided the coronary heart disease patients into three groups;  one doing Indian yoga, another aerobic exercise, and the third doing both.

All participants had to do three sessions a week for 6 months.

During this period the research team checked the effect of each exercise on coronary risk factors.

Both yoga and aerobic exercise when practiced alone lowered patients’ weight, waist circumference, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure in equal amounts.

But all these risk factors were reduced twice more in patients who combined aerobic exercise and yoga.

In addition, their exercise capacity, diastolic and systolic functions were improved significantly.

Diastolic function refers to when the heart relaxes fast enough after each beat and systolic function is associated with the left ventricle (one of the chambers of the heart) that pumps the blood to the cells.

Dr Sonal Tanwar, presenting the study, said:

“Combined Indian yoga and aerobic exercise reduce mental, physical and vascular stress and can lead to decreased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.”

A study on hot yoga which is a more rigorous workout than traditional yoga, has shown that it can reduce high blood pressure effectively without medication.

The study was presented at the 8th Emirates Cardiac Society Congress in collaboration with the American College of Cardiology Middle East Conference, 2017.

The Reason That Age Is No Barrier To Weight Loss

The overweight, obese and old can lose the same amount of weight as the young by making these changes.

The overweight, obese and old can lose the same amount of weight as the young by making these changes.

Contrary to the current belief, age does not hinder weight loss.

A study finds that obese patients aged 60 years or even older are able to lose the very same amounts of weight as younger patients.

The weight loss plans are similarly effective for older persons, using lifestyle changes which include psychological support, dietary modification, and boosting physical activity.

Researchers from the Warwickshire Institute enrolled 242 morbidly obese patients and provided them lifestyle weight loss interventions from 2005 to 2016.

The results show that those were 60 or older lost 7.3 percent of their weight while the younger group achieved a 6.9 percent weight reduction.

All the patients who were assigned to the hospital‐based obesity service at WISDEM Centre received a lifestyle intervention programme.

Each patient received an individual lifestyle-based change plan concentrating on healthy diet, change in eating habits, encouraging exercise and psychological help.

Obesity is associated with greater mental problems and death.

Losing weight can reduce over 50 comorbid conditions such as osteoarthritis, diabetes, heart disease, anxiety, and depression in obese individuals.

Dr Thomas Barber, the study’s lead author, said:

“Weight loss is important at any age, but as we get older we’re more likely to develop the weight-related co-morbidities of obesity.

Many of these are similar to the effects of aging, so you could argue that the relevance of weight loss becomes heightened as we get older, and this is something that we should embrace.

There are a number of reasons why people may discount weight loss in older people.

These include an ‘ageist’ perspective that weight-loss is not relevant to older people and misconceptions of reduced ability of older people to lose weight through dietary modification and increased exercise.

Older people may feel that hospital-based obesity services are not for them.

Service providers and policymakers should appreciate the importance of weight loss in older people with obesity, for the maintenance of health and wellbeing, and the facilitation of healthy ageing.

Furthermore, age per se should not contribute towards clinical decisions regarding the implementation of lifestyle management of older people.

Age should be no barrier to lifestyle management of obesity.

Rather than putting up barriers to older people accessing weight loss programmes, we should be proactively facilitating that process.

To do otherwise would risk further and unnecessary neglect of older people through societal ageist misconceptions.”

The study was published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology (Leyden et al., 2020).

The Vitamin Linked To Weight Loss

Weight loss can be aided by a number of vitamins and supplements, research finds.

Weight loss can be aided by a number of vitamins and supplements, research finds.

A number of vitamins and supplements are linked to weight loss, according to research.

Vitamin D3 supplements can aid weight loss, a new review of 10 studies has found.

People in the studies took around 1,000 IU up to 20,000 IU per day.

Compared to control groups, people taking vitamin D3 had reduced body mass indexes and trimmer waists.

One study has even shown that taking 2000 IU can increase weight loss by 50 percent.

People who are overweight or obese frequently have a deficiency in vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol.

The research was a review of 11 separate studies including almost 1,000 overweight and obese people in total.

All were taking various amounts of vitamin D3 supplementation to help with weight loss.

Professor Simone Perna, the study’s author, explained the studies results:

“The systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 RCTs with more than 900 subjects lasting between 1 to 12 months after cholecalciferol [vitamin 3] supplementation (from 25,000 to 600,000 IU monthly), revealed that cholecalciferol has a desirable effect on weight loss by reducing BMI and waist circumference in overweight and obese individuals.”

A number of mechanisms could be involved in vitamin D3 aiding weight loss.

It may help to suppress fat accumulation, Professor Perna writes:

“Cholecalciferol [vitamin D3] has a direct role in suppressing the PTH hormone, which promotes and triggers fat accumulation in the adipose tissue via increasing intracellular calcium.”

Increasing calcium intake is also thought to help with weight loss, said Professor Perna:

“Some studies showed that taking Ca supplements in addition to cholecalciferol increased the inverse relationship and decreased the fat mass that was attributed to calcium metabolism.

It is believed that a calcium-rich diet increases fat oxidation, promotes fat cell apoptosis and decreases lipid absorption through the process of insoluble calcium-fatty acid soap formation in the intestine.”

The study was published in the journal Medicina (Perna et al., 2019).