12-Week 16:8 Fasting Sustains Weight Loss for 1 Year in 99 Adults
Updated
Updated · ScienceDaily · Jul 18
12-Week 16:8 Fasting Sustains Weight Loss for 1 Year in 99 Adults
2 articles · Updated · ScienceDaily · Jul 18
Summary
A 12-week time-restricted eating program helped overweight or obese adults keep more weight off 12 months later than people who kept eating over 12 hours or longer each day.
In the randomized trial of 99 adults, all participants received Mediterranean diet guidance, but those assigned to an eight-hour eating window maintained the stronger long-term results.
Both early and late eight-hour schedules preserved weight loss after the program ended, while the early window—starting before 10 a.m.—also held onto a larger reduction in fat mass.
Prior findings from the same project, published in Nature Medicine, showed time-restricted eating produced average losses 3-4 kilograms greater than nutritional guidance alone during the initial intervention.
Researchers said the results suggest intermittent fasting can be flexible enough for daily life, with about one in three participants continuing it on their own during the follow-up year.