Many people opt for fasting, while some others choose controlled calorie intake to reduce their weight. According to a new obesity study, both can be equally helpful in reducing weight. Alternate days fasting has become one of the most followed forms of weight loss in the United States.
According to Krista Varady, the lead author of the study, the researchers wanted to establish that both are equally effective in reducing one’s weight.
The study
The study was conducted on 100 obese adults in Chicago from 2011 to 2015. During the study the adults were randomly allotted to three basic groups.
For one year, the groups had to either follow an alternate day fasting, Calorie Restriction diet, or no diet.
Those in the alternate day fasting group were allowed to eat 25 percent of one's daily calories, which is generally recommended for a daily diet during fasting. Every fasting day was accompanied by alternate feasting days. During the feasting days, the subjects were allowed about 125 percent of their recommended calories.
For the calorie restriction group, the participants limited their daily calorie intake to around 75 percent of only what was required for their diet. During the study, members of both the groups were given meals for three months. After that, they were allowed to follow their own diet preferences for the rest of the next nine months
Results of the study
The group included in the alternate day fasting lost about 6 percent of their body weight.
This compares to those included in the calorie restriction group, who lost around 5.3 percent of their original body weight. Though both the groups showed almost similar results, it was found that most people in the alternate fasting group had cheated on their diet when compared to the calorie intake group.
According to the U.S.
Dietary Guidelines, an adult woman requires an estimated range of 1,600 to 2,400 calories every day. For adult males, the range of calories is expected to be between 2,000 to 3,000 calories. For both men and women, the calorie intake depends on physical activity level.
What was the dropout rate for both the groups?
The dropout rate for those included in the alternate fasting group was 38 percent and for the other group it was 29 percent.
According to researchers, the daily calorie restriction was a tough option. The researchers were surprised by the alarming dropout rate for both groups.
According to Varady, alternate fasting was thought be an easier mode of losing weight. However, according to the results, it was the calorie restriction group which scored the highest points. Instead of consuming 500 calories during the fasting days, they were seen consuming a few hundred calories more.
