Orange County, CA - January 11th, 2019 - According to the United Health Foundation, approximately 26 percent of woman aged 18-44 are obese in the U.S. A new study held at the University of Adelaide finds that overweight women lose more weight and improve their health by intermittent fasting while following a strict diet.
The study, published in the Journal of Obesity, involved a total of 88 women who took part in a controlled diet throughout ten weeks. All participants in the study were women who were between 35 and 70 years of age, who were obese with a Body Mass Index (BMI) in the 25-40 range. They followed the usual Australian diet which consists of 35% fat, 15% protein, and 50% carbohydrate.
“Continuously restricting their diet is the main way that obese women try to tackle their weight. Unfortunately, studies have shown that long-term adherence to a restricted diet is very challenging for people to follow, so this study looked at the impact of intermittent fasting on weight loss,” said Dr. Amy Hutchison, lead author from the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).“This study is adding to evidence that intermittent fasting, at least in the short term, may provide better outcomes than daily continuous diet restriction for health and potential for weight loss. While the study confirms that intermittent fasting is more effective than continuous diet restriction, the underlying signal for limiting people’s appetite, which could hold the key to triggering effective weight loss, requires further research,” says Associate Professor Leonie Heilbronn from the University of Adelaide and SAHMRI.
Further research will examine how effective the long-term fasting on both men and women. If you are interested in participating in the upcoming study, please email prefer@adelaide.edu.au for more information.
