Research records
Historical source snapshot. Not freshly verified, not a recommendation. Study findings, community accounts and app defaults are not interchangeable.
Publication suitability · 2026-10-15: Historical reference only; not a clinical verification. Clinical, regulatory, efficacy, safety and dose claims are not independently established by this review.
Alternate-day fasting
Alternating fast days and normal eating days.
Evidence category: Systematic review. This describes the source category, not approval or certainty.
Regulatory statement in source: Not separately recorded; do not infer approval from the evidence category.
Alternate-day fasting alternates fasting days with normal eating days. A systematic review and meta-analysis of seven randomised controlled trials with 269 adults found lower body weight and BMI, plus lower total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, fat mass and blood pressure, compared with controls. Fasting blood sugar and insulin resistance did not differ, and lean mass also fell. A network meta-analysis of 24 trials found intermittent fasting produced weight loss similar to steady calorie restriction.
Benefits reported in the imported source
- Pooled randomised trials found lower weight, BMI, fat mass, cholesterol and blood pressure
Risks and limits
- Lean mass fell alongside fat mass
- Blood sugar and insulin resistance did not improve
- Across 24 trials the weight loss was no different from steady calorie restriction
Source bottom line: Alternate-day fasting lowered weight and lipids in pooled trials, matched plain calorie restriction, and also cut lean mass.
Uncertainty: Reference information only. Not medical advice.
Study protocols — reports, not instructions
269 adults across seven randomised controlled trials
- Reported regimen
- 4:3 alternate-day fasting: 25% of energy needs on fasting days, unrestricted eating on the alternating feeding days
- Duration
- Trials ran 4 to 48 weeks
- Reported outcome
- Weight, BMI, fat mass, lean mass, total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure fell; HDL, fasting glucose and insulin resistance did not.
- Source
- Health Effects of Alternate-Day Fasting in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (availability check 2026-10-15: possible access barrier; not independently inspected; HTTP 200)
Claim provenance
evidence.json#/catalog:food-protocol:adf/protocols/0
1,768 people across 24 randomised controlled trials in the general population
- Reported regimen
- Alternate-day fasting, the 5:2 diet and time-restricted eating, compared with continuous calorie restriction
- Duration
- Not stated
- Reported outcome
- Intermittent fasting gave weight loss no different from continuous calorie restriction (mean difference 0.26 kg, 95% CI -0.31 to 0.84).
- Source
- A meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness of alternate day fasting, the 5:2 diet, and time-restricted eating for weight loss (Elortegui et al. 2023)
Claim provenance
evidence.json#/catalog:food-protocol:adf/protocols/1
Community and practice descriptions
Accounts of a practice are not evidence of safety or effectiveness. Words such as “standard”, “safe” or “recommended” describe the source account, not verified consensus or this wiki’s advice. Commercial and self-published citations are retained for traceability, not vendor endorsement or independent clinical corroboration.
Unverified imported account — Pros and Cons of Intermittent Fasting - Healthline
An imported authored paraphrase, not a quotation or a recommended protocol.
Review: unverified historical account. The imported wording is preserved for attribution; its full clinical, dosing, efficacy or consensus claims have not been independently established. Described practice context only; no clinical benefit or safety outcome is inferred.
Imported wording: A nutrition guide lists alternate-day fasting among popular patterns, alternating a fasting day with a day of eating.
Historical research outcome: verified-description · 2026-10-06
Rechecked the previously published description against live source content. The live guide lists alternate-day fasting and describes fasting every other day; no efficacy or adherence claim is repeated.
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-ways-to-do-intermittent-fasting: verified-description — The live guide lists alternate-day fasting and describes fasting every other day; no efficacy or adherence claim is repeated.
Pharmacokinetic context
No half-life recorded in this source snapshot. No value has been inferred.
Source references
- Health Effects of Alternate-Day Fasting in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (availability check 2026-10-15: possible access barrier; not independently inspected; HTTP 200)
- A meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness of alternate day fasting, the 5:2 diet, and time-restricted eating for weight loss (Elortegui et al. 2023)
- PubMed: alternate day fasting (availability check 2026-10-15: possible access barrier; not independently inspected; HTTP 200)
Snapshot provenance
Source ID: catalog:food-protocol:adf. Commit: adc7684614f9439b41d91a3312b62e7982c7e20e. Review state: historical-not-reverified. Authored links are retained separately from the canonical evidence links in the public data. App templates/defaults and rejected drafts are archived, not deployed.
Related entries and components
None listed.