Intermittent fasting, calorie counting yield similar results

UF Health Podcasts

Some people swear by the keto diet. Others can’t make it past lunchtime without a carb-heavy snack. We know weight loss is far from a one-size-fits-all approach. Now, a new review of nearly 100 clinical trials is evaluating how certain methods measure up against each other.

Of note? Intermittent fasting, where you eat within a specific window of time, might work just as well as traditional calorie counting.

Researchers looked at data from more than 6,500 adults and found that all forms of intermittent fasting, like time-restricted eating, whole-day fasting and alternate-day fasting, led to small drops in weight and corresponding improvements in heart health markers. But one method stood out: alternate-day fasting.

This approach, which involves fasting every other day, showed slightly better weight loss results than both standard calorie restriction and other fasting methods.

Still, there’s a catch. Even the best-performing diets didn’t quite hit the minimum threshold for “clinically important” weight loss, which the study defined as about 4.4 pounds. And when it came to other health markers like blood sugar or “good” cholesterol, no clear winner emerged.

What’s more, most trials were short, about 12 weeks on average, and varied widely in quality. So, while the early results are promising, they’re not definitive.

The take home? Yes, intermittent fasting might work just as well as counting calories, and alternate-day fasting could offer a slight edge. But don’t ditch your diet just yet. The best plan is still the one you can stick with … and one that supports sustainable change.