It’s a diet trend endorsed by everyone from Hollywood stars to Rishi Sunak, but fasting doesn’t work for everyone.
Now scientists say they’ve found a way to boost its effects: a specific type of training.
Research shows that combining high-intensity aerobic and resistance exercise with intermittent fasting can help you lose almost 30 percent more weight.
Obese women who stuck to the strict strategy for 12 weeks lost an average of 11.6 kg (25.6 lbs).
By comparison, volunteers asked to adhere to a time-restricted diet, where all daily meals could only be consumed within an 8-hour window, lost 9 kg (19.8 lbs).
Jennifer Aniston, Chris Pratt and Kourtney Kardashian are among the Hollywood A-listers who have jumped on the trend since it emerged in early 2010. But despite a large body of research suggesting it works, experts have remained divided over its effectiveness and potential long-term health effects.
Participants who only took part in the exercise regimen, which can include push-ups, burpees and squats, lost 5.4 kg (11.9 lbs).
A Tunisian academic behind the study said the results show that combining exercise with diet has “the greatest benefits” for both weight loss and heart health.
Dr. Rami Maaloul, an expert in sports science at the University of Sfax, said: ‘We can emphasize in this study that time-restricted eating is a good solution to combat obesity, easy to implement because it does not require people to limit their total food intake. intake or count total daily calories.
‘It’s clear that changing your diet or becoming physically active are effective weight loss strategies, but combining dietary change with exercise has the greatest benefits for cardiometabolic health and weight loss.’
He added: ‘Future time-restricted eating research should determine which type of exercise is more relevant for improving cardiometabolic health in obese women.’
Jennifer Aniston, Chris Pratt and Kourtney Kardashian are among the Hollywood A-listers who have jumped on the fasting trend since it emerged in early 2010.
But despite numerous studies suggesting it works, experts remain divided over its effectiveness and potential long-term health effects.
Some argue that faster people usually consume a relatively large amount of food in one sitting, which means they don’t skimp on their calories – a well-known way to beat the hump.
Even her warn that this may increase the risk of stroke, heart attack or premature death.
The researchers analyzed data from 64 women with an average age of 32 and a BMI of 35 on average.
Twenty-four were assigned to the high-intensity functional training (HIFT) and time-restricted eating group.
Both other groups consisted of 20 participants.
The workouts, led by instructors, include eight sets of eight exercises. They lasted 45 to 55 minutes each and volunteers participated three times a week.
Those who were allowed to eat within an eight-hour window only ate between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and did not have to cut back on their consumption.
The team then compared the participants’ health markers, including waist circumference, blood pressure and glucose, cholesterol and lipids and levels.
In addition to losing more weight, the combination group also saw the biggest drop in waist circumference: 10.5 cm.
In comparison, intermittent fasting alone recorded a decrease of 6.7 cm and the HIFT group 7.6 cm.
The reduction in total cholesterol and glucose levels was also highest among the combination group, with a decrease of 1.5 mmol/l and 1.23 mmol/l respectively.
The time-restricted eating group saw a decrease of 0.6 mmol/l and 0.96 mmol/l, while HIFT reported a decrease of 0.7 mmol/l and 0.75 mmol/l.
According to the NHS, total cholesterol levels should be below 5 mmol/L.
Glucose, meanwhile, should be around 4-7 mmol/l before a meal and below 9 mmol/l when tested two hours after a meal.
Writing in the diary PLOS ONEresearchers said:Although in our study the time-restricted eating group did not restrict total caloric intake or macronutrient composition of foods, the weight loss may be partly related to the voluntary reduction in caloric intake.
‘It has been reported that individuals following this diet often spontaneously reduced their energy intake, resulting in a slight loss of body weight.’
However, they also acknowledged that the study did not take into account variations in the menstrual cycle and the small sample size.
They also admitted to the dietary intake logs submitted by volunteerscan lead to inaccurate estimates of nutrient intake.