The Study
Evaluation of the effectiveness of intermittent fasting versus caloric restriction in weight loss and improving cardiometabolic health: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This paper is like a big summary that looks at many smaller experiments where people tried different eating plans. It can tell us that one plan (intermittent fasting) seems to shrink belly size a little more than the other, but it can’t prove it works for everyone.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
This study looked at two diets: one where people eat less every day, and one where they fast part of the time. It checked which one helps more with weight and health.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 548 / 100
Quality score
The highest quality evidence. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that pool randomized controlled trials, giving the most reliable summary of experimental evidence.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The differences are so small that they probably don’t matter much in real life, even if the BMI result is technically significant.
- 2Fasting helped a tiny bit more with BMI (-0.44), but not much more with weight (-0.41 kg).
- 3Cholesterol and sugar levels were about the same in both groups.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences
Year
2025
Authors
Samah Alfahl
Related Content
Claims (6)
If you eat the same number of calories and protein, fasting every now and then works just as well for losing weight as eating less every day.
If you're trying to improve your cholesterol and have extra weight, going on an intermittent fasting diet works about as well as cutting calories every day — both help in similar ways.
Intermittent fasting might help lower blood sugar a little more than regular calorie cutting in people with extra weight, but the difference is so small it probably doesn’t matter in real life.
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.
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.
Intermittent fasting might help lower triglycerides a little more than regular calorie cutting in people with overweight or obesity, but the difference is so small that scientists can't say for sure it's not just due to chance.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.