A new research review has challenged claims that intermittent fasting is significantly more effective for weight loss than conventional dieting.
According to a scientific analysis published in the Cochrane Library, intermittent fasting offers no clear advantage over traditional calorie-controlled diets when it comes to shedding excess weight.
The review also found that its benefits are only modestly better than making no dietary changes at all.
Researchers evaluated data from 22 international studies comparing intermittent fasting with standard healthy eating plans.
The analysis showed that individuals following intermittent fasting approaches — including the 5:2 diet popularised by the late Michael Mosley — lost roughly the same amount of weight as those adhering to balanced, conventional diets.
When compared to no intervention, intermittent fasting resulted in an average body weight reduction of around 3 percent. However, medical experts generally consider at least 5 percent weight loss necessary to achieve meaningful health benefits.
Dr. Luis Garegnani, lead author of the review and director of the Cochrane Associate Centre at the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires, Argentina, emphasized that intermittent fasting should not be viewed as a “miracle solution.”
“Intermittent fasting is not a miracle solution, but it can be one option among several for weight management,” he said. “It likely yields results similar to traditional dietary approaches. It doesn’t appear clearly better, but it’s not worse either.”
Commenting on the findings, Dr. Zhila Semnani-Azad from the National University of Singapore noted that the effectiveness of intermittent fasting may also depend on meal timing, as the body’s circadian rhythms are closely linked to metabolism.
The review acknowledged several limitations. Most of the included studies tracked participants for a maximum of 12 months, leaving long-term effects uncertain.
Additionally, reporting of side effects varied across trials, making it difficult to reach firm conclusions about safety and sustainability.
Intermittent fasting has gained global popularity in recent years as obesity rates continue to climb. According to the World Health Organization, worldwide adult obesity has more than tripled since 1976.
One of the most common fasting patterns involves abstaining from food for 16 hours, followed by an 8-hour eating window — widely known as the 16:8 method.
While the new review suggests intermittent fasting is not superior to traditional diets, experts maintain that sustainable weight loss ultimately depends on long-term adherence and overall lifestyle changes.
