16:8 Fasting Diet Might be Better than Other Types of Fasting, According to New Study

16:8 Fasting Diet Might be Better than Other Types of Fasting, According to New Study
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Up until this point there was not much evidence that a fasting diet can help people improve their health. With more and more people choosing this type of diet, we know that this was helping them lose weight, but was it really good for their bodies? We now have the chance to take a look at a small study and see what the results were.

16:8 intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and lower your blood pressure

This early study included 23 obese participants who had to follow the well-known 16:8 diet, which is a form of intermittent fasting. What the volunteers had to do was to eat only between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and consume only water or zero-calories beverages during the remaining time of the day. The study lasted for 12 weeks and the researchers collected data related to the participants’ blood pressure and glucose levels, and analyzed the fat mass and cholesterol of the volunteers.

The analyzed information was then compared to a different weight loss trial that took place a couple of years ago, between 2011 and 2015. What was found was that participants in this newer study had a decrease in body weight by 3% and their blood pressure also dropped by approximately 7mm Hg. Still, when it comes to the cholesterol and glucose levels and to their bodies’ fat mass, the results were similar to the volunteers in the past study.

More research needed

One of the authors of the study, Krista Varady, mentioned that giving up on specific foods or counting the number of calories are not the only ways to lose weight. According to her, the results of this particular study are actually quite similar to those from previous studies based on other types of intermittent fasting. One of the studies from the past that looked at the effects of alternate day fasting on people’s bodies had comparable results.

However, the researcher also stated that most probably the 16:8 diet is easier for people to follow, as not so many people gave up on this study, compared to older ones.  Still, we might need more research to see exactly how this type of fasting can benefit people in the long term.


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I am a pop culture and social media expert. Aside from writing about the latest news health, I also enjoy pop culture and Yoga. I have BA in American Cultural Studies and currently enrolled in a Mass-Media MA program. I like to spend my spring breaks volunteering overseas.

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