Recent evidence from animal and human studies suggests the role of fasting in disease prevention, weight control, and longevity. Yet, only a few studies have compared exercise performances in individuals adhering to intermittent fasting (IF) in comparison to individuals who are not. 

Since the popularity of IF is rising, El-Outa A. et al. have proposed to investigate whether this type of eating pattern will improve cardiovascular performance over a period of 12 weeks through VO2 max measurements in participants from a Lebanese community. Additionally, they will also study the variation of different health parameters, physical performance, and biomarkers potentially affected by IF. They plan to recruit the participants from a large university community and randomize them into four arms after collecting their Baseline information, including biological, physical, nutritional, medical, and psychological data. 

The two study arms will have to follow a time-restricted fasting diet with and without physical exercise, one arm will exercise without fasting, and one will act as a control group. The investigators will repeat the measurements throughout the study and will then analyze the data to obtain a result.

This trial will help better understand the effect of IF on aerobic physical performance, as well as on metabolism, glycemic control, and several health and self-reported parameters. The results of this study will guide future research, ultimately serving both scientific and clinical fields.

El-Outa A, Ghandour L, Hamade H, Borgi C, Fares E-J, Gherbal T, Mufarrij A. Intermittent fasting & performance: The iFast clinical trial protocol. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. 2022;25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conctc.2021.100766.