Intermittent fasting might help people with extra weight lose a little more body mass than cutting calories regularly, but the difference is small and we’re not sure if it really matters for health.

People with metabolic syndrome who follow intermittent fasting see their body mass index drop by a small but measurable amount, meaning they’re losing fat relative to their height.

For adults who are overweight or obese, cutting calories all the time works about the same as fasting on and off when it comes to losing weight — both help lower BMI just as much in the short to medium term.

Intermittent fasting might help people lose a little more weight than cutting calories the usual way, but the difference is so small it could just be due to chance — overall, both methods work about the same for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.

People who try intermittent fasting tend to lose a little more weight than those who just cut calories continuously, according to several studies.

People with metabolic syndrome who try intermittent fasting lose about 4 pounds on average after a few months, even without counting calories.