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Cell Metabolism, a well-known academic journal, Cell Metabolism, recently published the results of a “weight control” clinical trial that is both effective and safe in the short-term, and has attracted a lot of attention.

A dozen healthy middle-aged people who participated in the trial under the guidance of researchers at the University of Graz, Austria, (BMI) lowers 1.2, the problem of weight loss is difficult – Abdominal fat decreased by an average of 14.5%.

“In our study, (average) can lose 6 pounds in 4 weeks, achieving a significant weight loss effect.” Professor Frank Madeo, the research leader and co-author of the study, said. Considering that these volunteers are not obese patients, their weight base is not very large, and the weight reduction effect has been satisfactory.

In addition to weight loss and fat reduction, there are other health benefits: blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein and other cardiovascular indicators, as well as indicators of aging-related inflammatory molecules, have also been positively improved in a short period of time.

After 4 weeks of intervention, body weight, fat mass, fat/lean ratio have decreased (Source: Reference [1])
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So, what is the intervention method for this clinical trial?

This method is called “span class=”text-remarks” label=”remarks”> (alternate day fasting). Specifically, the 30 volunteers in the intervention group were able to eat and drink without restriction for 12 hours, and strictly forbidden within the next 36 hours. (Complete Do not consume solid food, liquid food and calorie drinks, you can drink water), alternate. The 30 volunteers in the control group enjoyed whatever they liked in their daily habits while ensuring nutrition.

It is reported that the effect of strict daily fasting is observed in healthy people, which is the largest clinical trial in its class.

The researchers have found that overall, taking a daily break will reduce calorie intake, which is 37% lower than the baseline.

Even daily fasting reduces the average calorie intake significantly (Source: Reference [1])

When you are hungry for a day, do you lose weight and have side effects? Safety is a concern of many people and part of the research team’s focus in this clinical trial.

The researchers not only monitored the short-term intervention group for 4 weeks, but also conducted a six-month strict daily fasting for another group of volunteers to examine the safety of this method over a longer period of time.

Either 4 weeks or 6 months, no evidence of damage to the immune system was found in the assessment. Participants’ thyroid function was not impaired, bone mass remained stable, and total white blood cells, proportions of various immune cell subtypes, and red blood cell counts were not abnormal.

Research icon (Source: Reference [1])

Therefore, in general, the results of fasting every other day are both effective and safe. Although these findings are encouraging, the researchers warned everyone to be cautious. On the one hand, it is unclear the consequences of strict food breaks for more than six months. The researchers said: “As with many dietary interventions, weight rebound after the intervention is also a problem to be solved further every other day.”

On the other hand, in this intervention trial, the nutritional level and physiological indicators of the participants were monitored by the researchers, and the health level of the selected volunteers was also rigorously evaluated.

The authors warn that “even healthy adults should not take a break every other day without consulting a clinician.”

So, what can you do for the readers who are eager to try? ResearcherIn the end, it is emphasized: “Before starting the next day’s fasting, first consider appropriate clinical support and overall healthy lifestyle.”

References

[1] Slaven Stekovic et al., (2019) Alternate Day Fasting Improves Physiological and Molecular Markers of Aging in Healthy, Non-obese Humans. Cell Metabolism DOI: https:/ /doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.07.016

[2] Alternate Day Fasting Aids Weight Loss with Evidence of Cardiovascular Benefits. Retrieved Oct. 25, 2019, from https://www.genengnews.com/news/alternate- Day-fasting-aids-weight-loss-with-evidence-of-cardiovascular-benefits/

This article is from WeChat public account:Academic latitude (ID: Global_Academia) , Cover: Oriental IC