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Retention, Fasting Patterns, and Weight Loss With an Intermittent Fasting App: Large-Scale, 52-Week Observational Study.
Torres, L, Lee, JL, Park, S, Di Lorenzo, RC, Branam, JP, Fraser, SA, Salisbury, BA
JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 2022;(10):e35896
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intermittent fasting (IF) is an increasingly popular approach to dietary control that focuses on the timing of eating rather than the quantity and content of caloric intake. IF practitioners typically seek to improve their weight and other health factors. Millions of practitioners have turned to purpose-built mobile apps to help them track and adhere to their fasts and monitor changes in their weight and other biometrics. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to quantify user retention, fasting patterns, and weight loss by users of 2 IF mobile apps. We also sought to describe and model starting BMI, amount of fasting, frequency of weight tracking, and other demographics as correlates of retention and weight change. METHODS We assembled height, weight, fasting, and demographic data of adult users (ages 18-100 years) of the LIFE Fasting Tracker and LIFE Extend apps from 2018 to 2020. Retention for up to 52 weeks was quantified based on recorded fasts and correlated with user demographics. Users who provided height and at least 2 readings of weight and whose first fast and weight records were contemporaneous were included in the weight loss analysis. Fasting was quantified as extended fasting hours (EFH; hours beyond 12 in a fast) averaged per day (EFH per day). Retention was modeled using a Cox proportional hazards regression. Weight loss was analyzed using linear regression. RESULTS A total of 792,692 users were followed for retention based on 26 million recorded fasts. Of these, 132,775 (16.7%) users were retained at 13 weeks, 54,881 (6.9%) at 26 weeks, and 16,478 (2.1%) at 52 weeks, allowing 4 consecutive weeks of inactivity. The survival analysis using Cox regression indicated that retention was positively associated with age and exercise and negatively associated with stress and smoking. Weight loss in the qualifying cohort (n=161,346) was strongly correlated with starting BMI and EFH per day, which displayed a positive interaction. Users with a BMI ≥40 kg/m2 lost 13.9% of their starting weight by 52 weeks versus a slight weight gain on average for users with starting BMI <23 kg/m2. EFH per day was an approximately linear predictor of weight loss. By week 26, users lost over 1% of their starting weight per EFH per day on average. The regression analysis using all variables was highly predictive of weight change at 26 weeks (R2=0.334) with starting BMI and EFH per day as the most significant predictors. CONCLUSIONS IF with LIFE mobile apps appears to be a sustainable approach to weight reduction in the overweight and obese population. Healthy weight and underweight individuals do not lose much weight on average, even with extensive fasting. Users who are obese lose substantial weight over time, with more weight loss in those who fast more.
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Effects of Diurnal Ramadan Intermittent Fasting on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Sleep Quality in Healthy Turkish Adults.
Mengi Çelik, Ö, Koçak, T, Köksal, E
Ecology of food and nutrition. 2022;(5):595-607
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of diurnal Ramadan fasting on cardiometabolic risk factors (blood glucose, lipid profile, inflammatory cytokines) and sleep quality in healthy Turkish adults. This prospective observational study was conducted with a total of 32 individuals (12 males, 20 females) who were aged between 19-32 years and fasted for 25 or more continuous days in Ankara, Turkey between 1 Ramadan 1442 and 30 Ramadan 1442. Individuals applied fasting for 16 hours in the spring season. Blood samples were taken after at least 8 hours of fasting, anthropometric measurements were taken and sleep quality was assessed using The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at the beginning and the end of Ramadan. There was a significant decrease in body mass index (BMI), C-reactive protein (CRP), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels during Ramadan fasting (p < .005). There were no changes in lipid profiles and sleep quality. There was a significant increase in fasting blood glucose levels (p < .05); however, this change is within normal limits. There was also a significant relationship between BMI and CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α levels (p < .05). The diurnal Ramadan fasting did not affect lipid profiles and sleep quality in healthy Turkish subjects. However, decreased BMI and inflammatory cytokine levels were observed at the end of Ramadan fasting. More studies are needed to clarify the role of Ramadan fasting in healthy populations.
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Mental and Behavioural Responses to Bahá'í Fasting: Looking behind the Scenes of a Religiously Motivated Intermittent Fast Using a Mixed Methods Approach.
Ring, RM, Eisenmann, C, Kandil, FI, Steckhan, N, Demmrich, S, Klatte, C, Kessler, CS, Jeitler, M, Boschmann, M, Michalsen, A, et al
Nutrients. 2022;(5)
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE Historically, fasting has been practiced not only for medical but also for religious reasons. Bahá'ís follow an annual religious intermittent dry fast of 19 days. We inquired into motivation behind and subjective health impacts of Bahá'í fasting. METHODS A convergent parallel mixed methods design was embedded in a clinical single arm observational study. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted before (n = 7), during (n = 8), and after fasting (n = 8). Three months after the fasting period, two focus group interviews were conducted (n = 5/n = 3). A total of 146 Bahá'í volunteers answered an online survey at five time points before, during, and after fasting. RESULTS Fasting was found to play a central role for the religiosity of interviewees, implying changes in daily structures, spending time alone, engaging in religious practices, and experiencing social belonging. Results show an increase in mindfulness and well-being, which were accompanied by behavioural changes and experiences of self-efficacy and inner freedom. Survey scores point to an increase in mindfulness and well-being during fasting, while stress, anxiety, and fatigue decreased. Mindfulness remained elevated even three months after the fast. CONCLUSION Bahá'í fasting seems to enhance participants' mindfulness and well-being, lowering stress levels and reducing fatigue. Some of these effects lasted more than three months after fasting.
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Fasting and post fasting effect of Ramadan on different seizure types in patients with active epilepsy.
Magdy, R, Kishk, NA, Abokrysha, NT, Ramzy, GM, Rizk, HI, Hussein, M
Nutritional neuroscience. 2022;(5):1100-1104
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Fasting is the basis for the ketogenic diet, and intermittent fasting is emerging as a treatment for epilepsy. There are no available data about the role of Islamic fasting on seizure control. This study aims to assess the effect of Ramadan fasting on the frequency of different seizure types. METHODS This was a prospective observational study on Muslim patients with active epilepsy intending to fast during Ramadan in the year 2019, with an average of 16 fasting hours per day. Seizure frequency for each seizure type was followed over three months, one month before (Shaaban), during Ramadan and one month after (Shawwal), after ensuring drug compliance. RESULTS Three hundred and twenty one Muslim patients with active epilepsy with median age of 33 years were included (some patients had more than one type of seizure). In Ramadan, 86 out of 224 patients with focal seizures, 17 out of 38 patients with myoclonic seizures and 6 out of 10 patients with absence seizures showed ≥ 50% reduction. In Shawaal, such improvement continued to include 83, 13 and 4 patients with focal, myoclonic and absence seizures. Focal and myoclonic seizures were significantly improved in the months of Ramadan and Shawaal compared to Shaaban. However, absence seizures were significantly improved only in Ramadan compared with Shaaban. The frequency of generalized tonic-clonic seizures did not significantly differ between the three months. DISCUSSION Ramadan fasting may have an improving effect, as well as a post-fasting effect, on active focal, myoclonic and absence seizures.
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New obesity treatment: Fasting, exercise and low carb diet - The NOT-FED study.
O'Driscoll, T, Minty, R, Poirier, D, Poirier, J, Hopman, W, Willms, H, Goertzen, A, Madden, S, Kelly, L
Canadian journal of rural medicine : the official journal of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada = Journal canadien de la medecine rurale : le journal officiel de la Societe de medecine rurale du Canada. 2021;(2):55-60
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Due to high rates of obesity in Canada, weight loss is an important primary care challenge. Recent innovations in strategies include intermittent fasting and low-carbohydrate diets, with limited research in a rural setting. METHODS This prospective 1-year observational study provided patients in Sioux Lookout, Northwestern Ontario with information on fasting and low-carbohydrate diets. Patients were recommended to attend every 3 months for measurements of weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure. Initial and 6-month bloodwork included A1c and Lipids. A survey of health status and diet was administered at 6 months. RESULTS Of the 94 initial registrants, 36 participants completed 1 year and achieved a 9% weight loss and an 8.6% decrease in BMI and waist circumference. Most participants were female with an average age of 60 years. Clinically insignificant changes in blood pressure and serology were observed. Participants reported few side effects and good compliance with intermittent fasting, averaging 15 h/day, 6 days/week. As in other dietary studies, the dropout rate was high at 62%. CONCLUSION This low-resource initiative was successful in assisting self-selected patients at a rural primary care clinic to achieve significant weight loss at 1-year. This approach is practical and is fertile ground for ongoing research.
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Can intermittent, time-restricted circadian fasting modulate cutaneous severity of dermatological disorders? Insights from a multicenter, observational, prospective study.
Bragazzi, NL, Trabelsi, K, Garbarino, S, Ammar, A, Chtourou, H, Pacifico, A, Malagoli, P, Kocic, H, Conic, RRZ, , , et al
Dermatologic therapy. 2021;(3):e14912
Abstract
The impact of intermittent circadian fasting (ICF) on skin disorders is far to be plenty deciphered. However, the circadian rhythm seems to exert a modulation on dermatoses severity, drug-response, and drug-related side effects. We aimed to evaluate ICF effect in the daily management of dermatological diseases. In this multicenter, prospective observational study we enrolled patients willing to undergo the 2018 ICF (from May 16 to June 14). Dermatoses severity were evaluated at the beginning of ICF (T0) and at the end of ICF (T1) by two independent board-certified dermatologists. Seventy-two patients suffering from different dermatoses volunteered to take part into the study. They displayed a mean age of 40.38 ± 12.46 years (median 41.0 years), 25 subjects were males (34.7% of the entire sample). The median weight change was 0 kg. The overall ICF effect size was -0.58 ([95% CI -0.83 to -0.33], P < .0001, medium effect size). Since in the present investigation no weight loss occurred, we could speculate that the impact of fasting in terms of improvements in the clinical symptoms could be rather due to the perturbation of the human biological clock. Despite our data remain preliminary, a chronobiological approach should be incorporated in the dermatological armamentarium.
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The Effects of Time-Restricted Eating versus Standard Dietary Advice on Weight, Metabolic Health and the Consumption of Processed Food: A Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial in Community-Based Adults.
Phillips, NE, Mareschal, J, Schwab, N, Manoogian, ENC, Borloz, S, Ostinelli, G, Gauthier-Jaques, A, Umwali, S, Gonzalez Rodriguez, E, Aeberli, D, et al
Nutrients. 2021;13(3)
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Plain language summary
Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a collection of conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure and impaired ability to balance blood sugars, that increase the sufferers risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Weight loss and lifestyle modifications are the main recommendations to improve MS. Intermittent fasting is a dietary regime that involves restricting the intake of food to certain times of the day, without restricting calories and has been shown in animal and human studies to result in fat loss and an increased ability to balance blood sugars. This randomised control trial of 218 adults over 6 months aimed to firstly determine relationships between eating duration, unprocessed and processed foods, and lifestyle factors on health and secondly to determine if a 12-hour time restricted eating pattern leads to an improvement in MS. The results showed that higher consumption of processed foods was associated with poorer metabolic health. A 12-hour restricted eating pattern resulted in weight loss, whereas individuals on a standard daily eating pattern did not, however differences between the two groups were not significant. Other measures of metabolic health failed to show any differences between the two groups. It was concluded that a 12-hour restricted eating pattern was feasible over 6 months, however further research is needed to assess if a more restricted time would result in greater weight loss. This study could be used by healthcare professionals to understand that a restricted eating pattern may be of benefit to those with MS, however further research would be needed to determine the optimal timeframe.
Abstract
Weight loss is key to controlling the increasing prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components, i.e., central obesity, hypertension, prediabetes and dyslipidaemia. The goals of our study were two-fold. First, we characterised the relationships between eating duration, unprocessed and processed food consumption and metabolic health. During 4 weeks of observation, 213 adults used a smartphone application to record food and drink consumption, which was annotated for food processing levels following the NOVA classification. Low consumption of unprocessed food and low physical activity showed significant associations with multiple MS components. Second, in a pragmatic randomised controlled trial, we compared the metabolic benefits of 12 h time-restricted eating (TRE) to standard dietary advice (SDA) in 54 adults with an eating duration > 14 h and at least one MS component. After 6 months, those randomised to TRE lost 1.6% of initial body weight (SD 2.9, p = 0.01), compared to the absence of weight loss with SDA (-1.1%, SD 3.5, p = 0.19). There was no significant difference in weight loss between TRE and SDA (between-group difference -0.88%, 95% confidence interval -3.1 to 1.3, p = 0.43). Our results show the potential of smartphone records to predict metabolic health and highlight that further research is needed to improve individual responses to TRE such as a shorter eating window or its actual clock time.
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Study of Beneficial Impact on Specific Biomarkers in Type 2 Diabetes During Ramadan Fasting (Unintentional Intermittent Fasting).
Kovil, R, Shaikh, N
The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India. 2020;(6):26-29
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as it accounts for one of the five pillars of the religion Islam. We speculate the fasts observed during the month of Ramadan to be unintentional intermittent fasts, which may have health benefits. OBJECTIVE The study was attempted to know the alterations in biomarkers viz. body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), serum glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) due to Ramadan IF on type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients of western India. METHODS A total 50 patients of T2D were selected for above-mentioned biomarkers assessment immediately before the starting of fast followed by after 45 days. RESULTS The present results indicated the beneficial impact on intermittent fasting among patients (baseline versus followed up) by detecting the alterations of above-mentioned biomarkers. In overall results (n=50), the BW (Kg) and BMI (Kg/m2) values were significantly (P<0.001) decreased in followed-up patients (76.06 ± 15.41 and 27.45 ± 5.06) when compared to baseline value (77.26 ± 15.53 and 27.90 ± 5.11) while the level of HbA1c (mmol/mol) was also significantly (P<0.05) decreased in followed-up patients (7.62 ± 0.99) when compared to baseline value (7.90 ± 1.24). But no significant changes in the values of SBP and DBP were observed. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, this observational study revealed the reduction of body weight, BMI and serum HbA1c levels probably due to IF for the T2D patients during the holy month of Ramadan. Moreover, the IF can be utilized as a therapy along with other pharmacological therapies. It is suggested future research work with other important biomarkers, which can be easier for T2D therapy.
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Effect of diurnal intermittent fasting during Ramadan on ghrelin, leptin, melatonin, and cortisol levels among overweight and obese subjects: A prospective observational study.
Al-Rawi, N, Madkour, M, Jahrami, H, Salahat, D, Alhasan, F, BaHammam, A, Al-Islam Faris, M
PloS one. 2020;(8):e0237922
Abstract
BACKGROUND Levels of cortisol, melatonin, ghrelin, and leptin are highly correlated with circadian rhythmicity. The levels of these hormones are affected by sleep, feeding, and general behaviors, and fluctuate with light and dark cycles. During the fasting month of Ramadan, a shift to nighttime eating is expected to affect circadian rhythm hormones and, subsequently, the levels of melatonin, cortisol, ghrelin, and leptin. The present study aimed to examine the effect of diurnal intermittent fasting (DIF) during Ramadan on daytime levels of ghrelin, leptin, melatonin, and cortisol hormones in a group of overweight and obese subjects, and to determine how anthropometric, dietary, and lifestyle changes during the month of Ramadan correlate with these hormonal changes. METHODS Fifty-seven overweight and obese male (40) and female (17) subjects were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric measurements, dietary intake, sleep duration, and hormonal levels of serum ghrelin, leptin, melatonin, and salivary cortisol were assessed one week before the start of Ramadan fasting and after 28 days of fasting at fixed times of the day (11:00 am-1:00 pm). RESULTS At the end of Ramadan, serum levels of ghrelin, melatonin, and leptin significantly (P<0.001) decreased, while salivary cortisol did not change compared to the levels assessed in the pre-fasting state. CONCLUSIONS DIF during Ramadan significantly altered serum levels of ghrelin, melatonin, and serum leptin. Further, male sex and anthropometric variables were the most impacting factors on the tested four hormones. Further studies are needed to assess DIF's impact on the circadian rhythmicity of overweight and obese fasting people.
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Investigating Physical and Nutritional Changes During Prolonged Intermittent Fasting in Hemodialysis Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study.
Adanan, NIH, Md Ali, MS, Lim, JH, Zakaria, NF, Lim, CTS, Yahya, R, Abdul Gafor, AH, Karupaiah, T, Daud, Z'M
Journal of renal nutrition : the official journal of the Council on Renal Nutrition of the National Kidney Foundation. 2020;(2):e15-e26
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Studies investigating the health effects of prolonged intermittent fasting during Ramadan among Muslim patients on hemodialysis (HD) are limited and reported heterogeneous findings. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of intermittent fasting during Ramadan on nutritional and functional status of patients on maintenance HD. DESIGN AND METHODS This was a 12-week, multicenter, prospective observational study. The study setting included three HD centers. Adult Muslim patients, who were undergoing HD session thrice weekly and planned to fast during Ramadan, were screened for eligibility and recruited. Nutritional and functional status assessments were carried out 2 weeks before (V0), at the fourth week of Ramadan (V1), and 4 weeks after Ramadan (V2). Nutritional status parameters included anthropometry (body mass index, interdialytic weight gain, waist circumference), body composition (mid-arm circumference, triceps skinfold, body fat percentage), blood biochemistry (albumin, renal profile, lipid profile, and inflammatory markers), blood pressure, dietary intake, and handgrip strength. Changes in nutritional and functional status parameters across study timepoints were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS A total of 87 patients completed the study, with 68 patients (78.2%) reporting fasting ≥20 days. Ramadan fasting led to significant reductions (all P < .05) in body mass index, interdialytic weight gain, waist circumference, mid-arm circumference, fat tissue mass, and body fat percentage, but these were not accompanied by any significant change in lean tissue mass (P > .05). Significant improvement was observed in serum phosphate levels, but serum albumin, urea, and creatinine were also reduced significantly during Ramadan (P < .05). There were no significant changes in lipid profile and inflammatory markers. Interestingly, energy and protein intakes remain unchanged during Ramadan. Handgrip strength improved significantly during Ramadan and further improved after Ramadan. CONCLUSION Intermittent Ramadan fasting leads to temporary changes in nutritional status parameters and poses nondetrimental nutritional risk for patients on maintenance HD.