Wednesday 5 August 2020 11:54am
Professor Rachael Taylor, EDOR Director and Deputy HOD of Medicine at the University of Otago, has been interviewed by Radio New Zealand (RNZ) about the health benefits of fasting.
Fasting: The quick way to better health? is part of RNZ's Healthy or Hoax series. It follows the experiences of three RNZ staff members who try out different forms of intermittant fasting over a period of 6 weeks. This included not eating for two days a week, or not eating between certain periods of the day.
While animal studies do show potential health benefits of fasting, the evidence from human studies is not as definitive. A recent EDOR research project called the SWIFT study sought to identify whether different forms of dieting may be better than others for weight loss.
In the SWIFT study, participants could chose from several diet options, including intermittant fasting. Professor Taylor noted that while the fasting option was very popular, many people found it harder to maintain longer-term than they had expected.
Dr Michelle Jospe, a researcher involved in the SWIFT study, says that based on the study results, people using intermittant fasting could expect an average weight loss of 4kg after 6 months, with more weight loss possible following better adherence.
However, Dr Jospe notes that there wasn't a significant difference in weight loss between the various diet options in the SWIFT study. Being able to maintain a new dietary pattern long term seems to be the key:
"Fasting isn’t necessarily better than other diets – but if it’s easier for you to stick to, then it could be worth giving it a try".
Listen to the RNZ podcast
Fasting: The quick way to better health? Healthy or Hoax, RNZ, 4 August, 2020 (33m55s)
Read more about the SWIFT study
- The SWIFT study research page and publications
- The SWIFT Study proves a HIIT, 3 July, 2015