Scientists have identified the ‘golden rule’ for successful intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating that involves not eating anything for a set period of time. It is known to improve digestion, sleep, skin appearance, and help regulate weight.

The 16/8 fast is the most well-known form: we have eight hours a day to eat and sixteen hours during which we must not eat. You can choose to fast in the evening, at noon or in the morning. There is no strict rule. The idea is to take a break from food for 16 hours a day.

If intermittent fasting is gaining more and more followers, it is because it is relatively simple to carry out: it does not involve counting calories, nor changing anything in your diet (provided you eat a balanced diet).

But then why doesn’t this solution work for everyone? Nisa Maruthur, co-author of a study on intermittent fasting and associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University may have found the explanation.

Loss of more than 2 kg in 12 weeks

A group of American researchers, led by Nisa Maruthur, discovered that intermittent fasting would only be effective for losing weight and stabilizing blood sugar levels when people who follow it consume fewer calories.

The researchers analyzed data from 41 participants, aged 59 and with an average BMI of 36.

Obese people in the study followed a 10-hour eating window (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.), consuming most of their calories in the morning. They lost an average of 5 pounds over 12 weeks.

For comparison, volunteers who ate between 8 a.m. and midnight, consuming the majority of calories in the evening, lost 2.6 kg.

For intermittent fasting to be successful, you should not compensate by eating more at “allowed” meals.

Both groups followed an expert-recommended diet consisting of a balance of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and little saturated fat.

Experts who tend to be skeptical about the effectiveness of intermittent fasting worry that fasters end up consuming a relatively large amount of food at one time, meaning they’re not reducing their caloric intake (or even increasing it).

In other words, if you want intermittent fasting to benefit your waistline, you don’t want to compensate by eating more at mealtimes. If you’ve decided to fast in the evening, that’s no reason to overeat at lunch.