According to a new study, published in JAMA Network Open, intermittent fasting can result in weight loss and additional health benefits, at least in the short-term.

An umbrella review of 11 meta-analyses including 130 clinical trials suggested that intermittent fasting could help with reduction of weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat, fasting blood sugar, bad cholesterol, and blood pressure, among other risk factors tied to obesity. Two particular types of intermittent fasting were found to be linked with a significant weight reduction and additional health benefits. One of them, known as the modified alternate-day fasting, involves one day of eating as usual alternating with consumption of not more than 600 calories the next day. The other one, called the 5:2 Diet, involves 2 days per week of consuming zero or very low-calorie diet and 5 days of normal eating. The modified alternate-day fasting and 5:2 diet were tied to weight loss of 5% or more of total body weight in overweight or obese adults... (Medscape)