Intermittent fasting showed no clear weight-loss advantage over regular dietary advice
A review of randomized trials found little difference in weight outcomes, with low certainty and greater uncertainty about harms and longer-term effects.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
For adults with overweight or obesity, intermittent fasting may produce little difference in weight loss or quality of life compared with regular dietary advice. The evidence does not establish that these approaches are equivalent. Harms remain uncertain, and the review offers limited guidance on outcomes beyond the periods studied.
Bias and imprecision lowered confidence in several results. This abstract-based summary cannot establish longer-term effects beyond the reported follow-up.
What researchers found
Weight loss as a percentage of starting weight
Intermittent fasting versus regular dietary advice, assessed up to 12 months; low-certainty evidence. The interval allows small differences in either direction.
Comparators matter
The review also assessed fasting against no intervention or a waiting list. Its authors interpreted that comparison as showing little difference in weight loss, which is distinct from the comparison with dietary advice.
Unanswered questions
No included study reported participant satisfaction, diabetes status or an overall measure of other health conditions. This leaves questions about participants' experience and broader health outcomes unanswered, even where weight was measured.
The original publication
Intermittent fasting for adults with overweight or obesity.
Garegnani LI, Oltra G, Ivaldi D et al.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41692034
- Record checked
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