Fasting ‘ineffective’, count calories for weight loss

There are many diet fads, but researchers have found one that is guaranteed. weight loss.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University in the US have ruled out trendy diets such as intermittent fasting as aiding weight loss, labelling it “ineffective”.

Researchers instead recommend sticking to a traditional diet with calorie counting to help you lose weight.

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These findings were based upon 550 adults who were followed for an average period of six years. The average age of participants was 51. They were mostly white and 80% were women. The average BMI of the participants was 30.8 which is considered obese.

“Meal timing was not associated with weight change during the follow-up period,” says Professor Wendy Bennett, a senior author of the study, which was published in The Journal of the American Heart Association.

“This includes the interval from first to last meal, from waking up to eating a first meal, from eating the last meal to going to sleep and total sleep duration.”

Intermittent fasting means that dieters restrict their eating during a specific time frame every day. If they fast for eight hours, they might eat only from noon to 8pm.

“The study did not detect an association between meal timing and weight change in a population with a wide range of body weights,” Prof Bennett adds.

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Instead, the researchers stress that calorie counting and limiting portion sizes is the key to weight loss – no matter what time of day you eat.

“Eating less overall and fewer large meals may be a more effective weight management strategy than restricting meals to a narrow time window,” Prof Bennett says.

The team analysed the health records of patients in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and created a smartphone app that allows patients to log when, where, and how often they sleep and wake up.

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“Frequency and size of meals was a stronger determinant of weight loss or gain than the time between first and last meal,” Prof Bennett continues.

She also debunked the theory that intermittent fasting could improve the body’s metabolism, saying that their study did not detect this link.

The study’s authors have called for further trials including a more diverse population.

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