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Updated: Jun 27, 2025

Assessment of the Metabolic Effects of Isocaloric 2:1 Intermittent Fasting in Mice
Published on: November 27, 2019
Effects of Different Types of Intermittent Fasting Interventions on Metabolic Health in Healthy Individuals (EDIF): A
Daniel Herz1, Sebastian Karl1, Johannes Weiß1
1Division of Exercise Physiology and Metabolism, BaySpo-Bayreuth Center of Sport Science, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
Abstract:
The effects of intermittent fasting (IF) on health promotion in the healthy population remain controversial. Therefore, our study aimed to analyse the efficacy and feasibility of different IF protocols and evaluated the effects within a cohort with a controlled-run in phase on the body mass index (BMI) as the primary outcome, the body composition, and metabolic and haematological markers in healthy participants. A total of 25 individuals were randomised into three fasting groups: 16/8 fasting (n = 11), 20/4 fasting (n = 6), and alternate-day fasting (ADF, n = 8). Assessments were conducted at baseline (visit 1), after a four-week controlled-run in phase (visit 2), and after eight weeks of fasting (visit 3). Both the BMI (p = 0.01) and bodyweight (p = 0.01) were significantly reduced in the ADF group, which was not seen in the 16/8 and 20/4 groups (p > 0.05). Adherence was different but not statistically among the groups (16/8: 84.5 ± 23.0%; 20/4: 92.7 ± 9.5%; and ADF: 78.1 ± 33.5%, p = 0.57). Based on our obtained results, the data suggest that some fasting interventions might be promising for metabolic health. However, adherence to the specific fasting protocols remains challenging even for the healthy population.
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