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Intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern in which you deliberately avoid food during fixed periods, for example by concentrating meals in a limited time window or by eating very little on certain days. It demonstrably improves blood sugar, insulin sensitivity and body weight, with early time-restricted eating (meals before 15:00) appearing most effective according to the strongest studies. Over the longer term it offers no additional health benefits compared with simply eating fewer calories, but the structure can help you stick to it.

All questions and research on intermittent fasting →Intermittent fasting: news and checked claims in your inbox →
Related questions
Does fasting reset your immune system?
Yes · Moderate evidence · 8 studies
Can fasting turn back your biological age?
Moderate evidence · 8 studies
Does fasting or eating less help your memory and concentration?
Yes · Moderate evidence · 8 studies
Does intermittent fasting help your gut health?
Yes · Moderate evidence · 8 studies
Can fasting really rejuvenate your cells?
Moderate evidence · 8 studies
Does fasting or intermittent fasting help prevent cancer?
No · Preliminary evidence · 8 studies
What is AMPK and how do you activate it (through fasting or exercise)?
Moderate evidence · 7 studies
What does intermittent fasting do to your insulin sensitivity?
7 studies
What does fasting one day a week do to your gut microbiome?
7 studies
Is intermittent fasting good for longevity?
Moderate evidence · 7 studies
Does intermittent fasting help improve your insulin levels?
Yes · Moderate evidence · 6 studies
Does fasting or calorie restriction make the skin look younger?
Preliminary evidence · 5 studies
Is intermittent fasting worth it?
Moderate evidence · 4 studies
How many hours of fasting are needed to activate autophagy?
4 studies
Does fasting help your cells clean themselves up?
Yes · Preliminary evidence · 4 studies
Can you drink coffee during intermittent fasting?
Yes · Moderate evidence · 3 studies
Is intermittent fasting safe if you have type 2 diabetes?
Yes · Moderate evidence · 8 studies
Is intermittent fasting safe during pregnancy?
Moderate evidence · 8 studies
Does intermittent fasting lower your cholesterol?
Yes · Moderate evidence · 8 studies
Is intermittent fasting suitable for women over forty?
Yes · Moderate evidence · 7 studies
What are the downsides of intermittent fasting?
Preliminary evidence · 7 studies
Does a fasting-mimicking diet work better than simply eating less?
Moderate evidence · 6 studies
Which form of fasting works best against belly fat?
Moderate evidence · 6 studies
What does 12:12 fasting deliver compared with 16:8?
4 studies
Can you drink coffee with milk while fasting?
No · Preliminary evidence · 4 studies
Does the 16:8 schedule work better than other forms of intermittent fasting?
Moderate evidence · 4 studies
Which form of intermittent fasting works best?
Moderate evidence · 4 studies
Does extra salt help with fatigue during fasting?
Preliminary evidence · 3 studies
Can intermittent fasting cause constipation?
Preliminary evidence · 3 studies
Which intermittent fasting schedule works best?
Moderate evidence · 3 studies
Latest news on intermittent fasting
Fasting improves symptoms in Huntington’s patients22 SepCalorie restriction fights aging via one blood protein27 AugIntermittent fasting for a longer life: what the evidence actually says20 AugIntermittent fasting extends lifespan in male mice5 AugFasting switches fat cells into energy burners14 Jul
Heard on podcasts

What popular health podcasts claimed about intermittent fasting, checked against the research.

The Joe Rogan Experience · Travis BarkerPartly
“Fasting for three to five days stimulates autophagy, causing the body to clear out damaged or defective cells.”
What the research says →
The Joe Rogan Experience · Travis BarkerDoes not hold up
“Fasting starves cancer cells because cancer cells need glucose to survive.”
What the research says →
Dr. Mindy PelzPartly
“Time-restricted eating or intermittent fasting for 15 to 16 hours improves insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, inflammation, and mitochondrial health.”
What the research says →
Intermittent fasting: what's new, and what holds up

We follow the latest research on intermittent fasting and listen to leading health podcasts, and we check what they claim. You'll get one email on Thursdays with what matters, and only when there's something new.

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