The Study
The impact of intermittent fasting during weight reduction in people living with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized clinical trial
This study is like a fair test where two groups of people with diabetes ate differently for 3 months—one group ate only during an 8-hour window each day, and the other ate whenever they wanted. The group with the eating window lost more weight and had better blood sugar. But we can't say fasting definitely caused it, because people knew which group they were in.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested if skipping food from 8 PM to 8 AM every day, while eating less overall, helps people with type 2 diabetes lose more weight and improve blood sugar than just eating less food.
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 576 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — a 0.50 point drop in HbA1c is clinically meaningful and similar to the effect of some diabetes medications.
- 2Losing nearly 10% body fat in 3 months is substantial and reduces diabetes risk.
- 3People who fasted 12 hours overnight lost 6.5% of their body weight and lowered their HbA1c by 0.50 points.
- 4Those who only ate less lost 4.4% of weight and lowered HbA1c by 0.20 points.
- 5Fat loss was nearly double (9.4% vs.
- 65.3%).
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Year
2026
Authors
Salma M Abdel Fattah, Maggie M Abbassi, Samah Abd Elshafy, Mona A Hegazy, Samar F Farid
Related Content
Claims (10)
People with type 2 diabetes who follow intermittent fasting have lower blood sugar levels compared to those who do not.
Intermittent fasting is a scientifically supported dietary approach for controlling blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.
Among middle-aged obese adults with type 2 diabetes taking metformin, fasting for 12 hours overnight along with eating fewer calories leads to a 6.51% larger weight loss and a 0.50% greater drop in HbA1c after 12 weeks than eating fewer calories alone.
Among obese adults with type 2 diabetes taking metformin, fasting for 12 hours overnight along with reduced calorie intake leads to a 9.39% loss of body fat after 12 weeks, which is greater than the 5.32% loss from calorie restriction alone, showing that the fasting period contributes additional fat loss beyond just eating fewer calories.
In middle-aged obese adults with type 2 diabetes taking metformin, combining a 12-hour overnight fast with calorie restriction lowers HbA1c by 0.50 percentage points after 12 weeks, compared to a 0.20 percentage point reduction with calorie restriction alone.
Among obese adults with type 2 diabetes taking metformin, combining a 12-hour overnight fast with calorie restriction reduces waist size by 4.64% after 12 weeks, compared to a 2.70% reduction with calorie restriction alone.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.