Intermittent fasting helped people keep weight off for a year
A 12-week intermittent fasting program produced weight-loss benefits that were still visible a year later. Participants who ate within an eight-hour window maintained more weight loss than those who followed their usual longer eating schedule. Both early and late eating windows worked, while early fasting appeared especially helpful for preserving fat loss.
A 12 week intermittent fasting program may help people maintain weight loss for at least a year after the structured intervention ends, according to research involving the University of Granada (UGR).
Intermittent Fasting Benefits Persisted for a Year
The researchers examined the popular 16:8 approach to intermittent fasting. Under this method, people fast for 16 hours each day and eat during the remaining eight hours.
The lasting benefits did not depend on whether participants ate earlier or later in the day. An early schedule allowed eating between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., while a later schedule used a window between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m.
One year after the intervention ended, both the early and late fasting groups had maintained significantly more weight loss than participants who continued eating across 12 hours or more each day. Those assigned to the early schedule also preserved a larger reduction in fat mass.