Highlights
- •Intermittent and continuous energy restriction resulted in similar weight loss after one year in men and women with obesity.
- •Both diets improved cardiovascular risk factors.
- •Feeling of hunger may limit long-term adherence to intermittent energy restriction.
Abstract
Background & aims
Long-term adherence to conventional weight-loss diets is limited while intermittent
fasting has risen in popularity. We compared the effects of intermittent versus continuous
energy restriction on weight loss, maintenance and cardiometabolic risk factors in
adults with abdominal obesity and ≥1 additional component of metabolic syndrome.
Methods & results
In total 112 participants (men [50%] and women [50%]) aged 21–70 years with BMI 30–45 kg/m2 (mean 35.2 [SD 3.7]) were randomized to intermittent or continuous energy restriction.
A 6-month weight-loss phase including 10 visits with dieticians was followed by a
6-month maintenance phase without additional face-to-face counselling. The intermittent
energy restriction group was advised to consume 400/600 kcal (female/male) on two
non-consecutive days. Based on dietary records both groups reduced energy intake by
∼26–28%. Weight loss was similar among participants in the intermittent and continuous
energy restriction groups (8.0 kg [SD 6.5] versus 9.0 kg [SD 7.1]; p = 0.6). There
were favorable improvements in waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides
and HDL-cholesterol with no difference between groups. Weight regain was minimal and
similar between the intermittent and continuous energy restriction groups (1.1 kg
[SD 3.8] versus 0.4 kg [SD 4.0]; p = 0.6). Intermittent restriction participants reported
higher hunger scores than continuous restriction participants on a subjective numeric
rating scale (4.7 [SD 2.2] vs 3.6 [SD 2.2]; p = 0.002).
Conclusions
Both intermittent and continuous energy restriction resulted in similar weight loss,
maintenance and improvements in cardiovascular risk factors after one year. However,
feelings of hunger may be more pronounced during intermittent energy restriction.
Trial registration
www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT02480504.
Keywords
Acronyms:
BMI (body mass index), TG (triglycerides), CRP (C-reactive protein), RMR (resting metabolic rate), PAL (physical activity level), IPAQ-SF (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short form), TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 29, 2018
Accepted:
March 20,
2018
Received in revised form:
March 19,
2018
Received:
January 4,
2018
Handling Editor: A. SianiIdentification
Copyright
© 2018 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
