Table 2 from Metabolic Effects of Intermittent Fasting. | Semantic Scholar (2024)

Alternative day fasting (ADF) is considered as good protocol of food intake therapy for persons with non -alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which can help in loss of weight and treatment of dyslipidemia within a relatively short period of time, and reduce cardiovascular risk factors.

Evidence indicates the potential utility of intermittent fasting in the comprehensive management of chronic pain and warrants further investigation.

The state of current understanding regarding various forms of intermittent fasting, e.g. 5:2, time-restricted feeding and alternate-day fasting, appears broadly equivalent to that of standard daily energy restriction, although many of these models of intermittentfast do not involve fed-fasted cycles every other 24 h sleep–wake cycle and/or permit some limited energy intake outside of prescribed feeding times.

Intermittent fasting, in the short-medium term, seems to improve body composition, as well as the values of several cardiometabolic parameters such as insulin and HOMA-IR index, among others.

The ability of these intermittent fasting protocols to help to manage weight long-term is still poorly understood, as the majority of studies to date have run for short durations.

Changes in circadian rhythms of hormones caused by intermittent fasting are described and major hormones commonly pathophysiologically involved in clinical endocrinology are covered, including insulin, thyroid hormones, and glucocorticoids.

Inter intermittent fasting was shown to be of similar effectiveness as continuous energy restriction concerning weight reductions and metabolic health improvements, yet further human trials and studies of high levels of clinical evidence are required to confirm the use of intermittent fasting as a nutritional intervention for obesity and metabolic diseases management.

In this study, IF was found as effective, but not superior to calorie restriction in reducing body mass, improving body composition and reducing other cardiometabolic risk factors.

While data on the safety of IF are sparse, the most frequent adverse effects may dissipate within a month of the fasting period, and the long-term sustainability of these effects has not been studied.

Daily 12-hour intermittent fasting for one to two months significantly reduced liver weight in mice, which is associated with enhanced liver metabolism.

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This review examines studies conducted on intermittent fasting programs to determine if they are effective at improving body composition and clinical health markers associated with disease and the potential synergistic effects of combining intermittent fasting with exercise.

Clinical research studies of fasting with robust designs and high levels of clinical evidence are sparse in the literature, and substantial further research in humans is needed before the use of fasting as a health intervention can be recommended.

Large-scale, longer-term randomized controlled trials will be required before the use of fasting can be recommended for the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases.

This study suggests that the IF dieting paradigm is acceptable in healthy individuals, and additional research is needed to further assess the potential benefits and risks.

Results from animal studies show TRF to be associated with reductions in body weight, total cholesterol, and concentrations of triglycerides, glucose, insulin, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor-α as well as with improvements in insulin sensitivity, and human data support the findings of animal studies.

Limited human data from short-term studies in overweight and obese subjects have shown that IER can lead to greater improvements in insulin sensitivity than can CER, with comparable reductions in adipokines and inflammatory markers and minor changes in the insulin-like growth factor axis.

Alternate-day fasting was feasible in nonobese subjects, and fat oxidation increased, however, hunger on fasting days did not decrease, perhaps indicating the unlikelihood of continuing this diet for extended periods of time.

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