Latest Developments in the Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Weight Loss and Glycolipid Metabolism

Abstract

Dietary intervention is an important approach to treating obesity. Intermittent fasting (IF) is a eating pattern alternating between eating and energy-restricted fasting or fasting periods, whose types mainly include alternate-day fasting, periodic fasting, time-restricted fasting, Ramadan fasting and so on. Available research has shown that IF manages obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders to improve health through a variety of mechanisms, but there is no conclusive evidence as to which IF regimen is more sustainable and effective. To provide evidence for in-depth promotion of the application of IF, we introduced several common IF regimens, and reviewed the latest developments in the effects and safety of IF in losing weight, and improving blood glucose and lipids, and found that IF is beneficial to weight loss, blood glucose and lipids reduction, as well as insulin resistance decrease with relatively high safety, but attentions should be paid to individual differences during the actual implementation of IF.

Keywords

• |intermittent fasting|obesity|weight loss|glucose metabolism|lipid metabolism