Alternate day fasting combined with a low-carbohydrate diet for weight loss, weight maintenance, and metabolic disease risk reduction
Kalam F, Gabel K, Cienfuegos S, Wiseman E, Ezpeleta M, Steward M, Pavlou V, Varady KA
Obesity science & practice · 35 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Controlled clinical trial (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Industry funded
- Authors
- At least one author declares a financial tie to industry
Based on full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2019-09-04 · Obes Sci Pract · vol. 5 · issue 6 · pp. 531–539
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Cited
- 51 citations · more than 94% of similar papers · 3.8× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 36 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Dietary Effects on Health · Diet and metabolism studies · Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Keywords
- Weight loss, Medicine, Internal medicine, Intermittent fasting, Endocrinology, Insulin resistance, Obesity, Carbohydrate, Blood pressure, Cholesterol, Weight change
8 authors
From US
- Faiza KalamUniversity of Illinois Chicago
- Kelsey GabelUniversity of Illinois Chicago
- Sofia CienfuegosUniversity of Illinois Chicago
- Eric WisemanUniversity of Illinois Chicago
- Mark EzpeletaUniversity of Illinois Chicago
- Malik StewardUniversity of Illinois Chicago
Abstract
Objective
Alternate day fasting (ADF) is a popular weight loss regimen. Whether carbohydrate restriction can enhance the weight loss achieved with ADF remains unclear. Accordingly, this study examined the effect of ADF combined with a low-carbohydrate diet on body weight and metabolic disease risk factors.
Methods
Adults with obesity (n = 31) participated in ADF (600 kcal "fast day" alternated with an ad libitum "feast day") with a low-carbohydrate background diet (30% carbohydrates, 35% protein, and 35% fat). The 6-month trial consisted of a 3-month weight loss period followed by a 3-month weight maintenance period.
Results
Body weight decreased (-5.5 ± 0.5%; P P = .57) during the weight maintenance period (month 4-6). Net weight loss by month 6 was -6.3 ± 1.0%. Fat mass was reduced (P P P = .03) by -7 ± 3 mm Hg. Fasting insulin decreased (P = .03) by -24 ± 8% by month 6 relative to baseline. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, fasting glucose, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and haemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) remained unchanged.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that ADF combined with a low-carbohydrate diet is effective for weight loss, weight maintenance, and improving certain metabolic disease risk factors such as LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting insulin. While these preliminary findings are promising, they still require confirmation by a randomized control trial.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
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