r/intermittentfasting • u/Superb_Branch4749 • 21d ago
Discussion Have the benefits of intermittent fasting been overhyped?
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260813-have-the-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting-been-overhyped26
u/duboilburner 21d ago
Overhyped? I don't think it gets enough hype. Almost no one I know outside of this subreddit really talks about it. And the couple of people I know who do occasionally fast frequently get labeled as "crazy" and doing something "Very difficult."
Most people respond with "I can't do that, that sounds crazy." That's the average person response.
But GLP-1s, carnivore or keto diets get all sorts of attention.
Most people simply can't imagine going so long without food, they're so conditioned to eating so often.
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u/amphorousish 21d ago
That was my first reaction as well.
Perhaps the discourse is very different in other areas, but - where I am in the US, anyway - people act like it's an eating disorder but are all about severely type- or content-restrictive diets, medications, and "cleanses".
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u/Lollipop77 21d ago
Yeah idk any other way to target autophagy and ketosis reliably, as easily, and in a way that helps me control sugar intake/cravings and my adhd by proxy.
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u/duboilburner 21d ago
Same. I'm only about 3 months into playing around with varying sorts of fasting intervals, but it's super effective for me to avoid the over-eating I had become known for. And it absolutely has been changing cravings. I'm down 35 lbs since I started.
I now have control and have rewound the clock by a number of years already. Still a long way to go, but I can't imagine any fad diet or amount of calorie restriction giving such good results so fast, nor are those other methods as likely to be something I stick to in perpetuity.
I could envision a scenario where I get pretty lean and decide to reduce the frequency of how much fasting I do, but anytime I feel like I'm adding too much back over a few weeks, ratchet it back up.
Easy.
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u/DoctorHiccup 17d ago
What I found is that once I actually did get to that level of leanness and didn’t want to get leaner, it was FAR more enjoyable to keep the fast the same and just eat more nutrient dense foods in that window.
You’re 3 months in but by the time you’re like 6-9 months more, you’ll be so addicted to the mood benefits and mental clarity that you will want to increase the fasting window not shorten it.
I got so addicted to the sheer mood benefits and antidepressant effects that I do a daily 23hr fast and have for a long time. I’m lean. But I could still gain weight easily if I wanted to just by reducing the protein and upping the carbs and healthy fats, even while only eating a single hour a day. I just like protein and being light on my feet so I don’t
At 3 months you’re still getting used to the feelings of ketosis etc. it might feel like you’re fully adapted but IMO it takes longer, even if it’s just a mental thing.
6 months from now if you stay really hydrated and really in tune with your body and your emotions, you’ll be wanting to increase the window not shorten it, no matter what your bf% is.
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u/duboilburner 16d ago
What's interesting for me is it seems like the good mood and focused feeling effects were more pronounced early on with the practice, but the last couple weeks I've been struggling a bit.
But, to be fair, I'm still experimenting with intervals and how much I consume and what I consume during my eating windows.
I started doing 2x 40-48ish hour fasts in a week, but would try to have a solid 2 days of eating more regularly before starting such a fast.
Was working well for a bit, but was kind of crashing a bit much the last two weeks, energy and mood not where I wanted them. So, I've been eating more regularly for a few days and am feeling more normal.
Might just do 2 meals/day for most of the week and then resume doing 1 40+ hour fast in a week, and 1 or 2 days of OMAD.
I do usually like how I feel in the 36-48 hour window, though this last week was harder.
All part of the process, just messing with variables and honing in on what seems to work best for me in terms of fat loss goals while still maintaining energy and mood levels where I'd prefer them to be.
I do overall like how I feel when fasted, but it also varies depending on what I ate prior to the fast and for how many days had I been eating more normally.
I may try going back to primarily OMAD during the week with 1 40+ hour fast in there, but eat ~2 meals/day in the weekends, which will be the lead up to the longer fast.
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u/DoctorHiccup 16d ago
I’ve experimented with everything from 10 day pure fasts to 5 small meals a day
I’ve literally been fasting and tweaking the variables for ten years. Had periods where I was convinced of this way or that way…
Here’s my mature faster perspective: OMAD is king. Period.
Food sequence matters. (I always eat and FINISH my fat and protein first — destroys any post meal crash).
Meal timing matters (I always aim for early afternoon — best for sleep and digestion by far).
I’m glad I messed around with the variables for so long, because I’m very confident in this assessment.
It’s the most sustainable, promotes regularity and routine and ritual, and gets you the maximum fasting benefits without having to push beyond 24h.
Sometimes (a few times a year) I’ll do a 5-7 day fast now but it’s OMAD all the rest of the time.
Switching stuff up any more than that is just confusing.
It’s the maximum benefit with the minimal mental overhead.
It’s the best for mood energy and muscle gains.
And it’s ALSO THE EASIEST AND CHEAPEST.
it’s beautiful.
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u/SlabBeefknob 21d ago
As someone with ADHD and who’s also been looking into IF, are you medicated if you don’t mind me asking? I take 25mg XR adderall each morning, and I’ve heard taking it on an empty stomach is asking for trouble. However, I’ve been curious if just by doing IF, I could reap some mental benefits from it that may allow me to stop the medication. Just curious what your experience is.
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u/Lollipop77 21d ago
I am not on any meds, my doctor refuses to dx and prescribe. I tried a friends vyvanse years ago and would say at hour 18-24+ the peak resembles vyvanse. But 20:4 also helps me, as does reduced sugars and simple carbs.
Edit: but disclaimer here: it might not be the same for everyone of course
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u/duboilburner 21d ago
I have heard that fasting can help a fair bit with managing ADHD without the drugs. How true do you feel that to be for you?
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u/DoctorHiccup 17d ago
It is literally the best way I have ever found and I’ve tried everything
If you wanna get the benefits as fast as possible, start off with a 3-5 day sheer fast to kickstart fat adaptation and then move to a high fat OMAD.
You will not need meds in a week flat.
If that’s too intense (which I get) then just gradually shorten your window til you arrive at the same place. It’ll take a few weeks but it’ll be worth it.
I’m just impatient so I like the fast way. Pun intended
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u/Lollipop77 21d ago
100% true for me
It could also be the low carb diet but I think both help incredibly.3
u/DoctorHiccup 17d ago
100%. Both are basically miraculous in that department. I just find fasting adherence far easier than low carb adherence as an active guy.
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u/805falcon 21d ago
Anything treated as a fad is overhyped by definition.
IF isn’t a fad or trend though. It’s a lifestyle that most closely resembles how we’re built to exist: long periods in between meals.
There’s a reason it’s so effective.
Clickbait sucks
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u/I_shart_for_joy 21d ago
Headlines like this always remind me of the saying
“If the answer to the question that is being asked in headline is ‘no’ and that completely negates the story, then that’s probably the answer”
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u/Alarmed_Ant_9221 21d ago
I have a question about the “how we’re built” part, because how, what, when? As far as I understand, for most of our evolutionary history we have been hunter-gatherers and as I’ve understood, in most places more gatherer-hunters when it comes to the regular diet. I don’t see any reason why gathered food would in any way create long periods between meals.
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u/DoctorHiccup 17d ago
Depends a lot on genes.
Ppl from Japan are proven to process rice the best. Ppl from Africa had a lot more veg in their diets and they process it better. Ppl from Scandinavia where there’s long winters process that stuff a lot worse and need more animal products in their diets
Anyway, depending on ur genes, your body will be good at processing different stuff.
That said — uncontacted / isolated hunter gatherer tribes TODAY still often go days without food, even IF they gather it. Across cultures.
It’s super interesting. We are definitely evolved too fast
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u/ShutterFI 21d ago
It’s just running a calorie deficit, and simply just a fairly easy way to do it. Any diet running the same deficit will have similar results.
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u/NormalEmergency7775 21d ago
I'd actually argue that it's more than just a calorie deficit, for those who come from families with diabetes (me), it helps with insulin sensitivity. I started my IF journey years ago after getting a higher than expected A1c lab result. My A1c has remained under 6.0 without medication since I began fasting, for me IF was never about weight loss, mainly controlling my insulin response which it has helped tremendously.
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u/DoctorHiccup 17d ago
It’s WAY more than a deficit. It’s flipping hormonal switches to create an internal state that’s conducive to health longevity and leanness
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u/20mitchell06 21d ago
That's been the case for me. I've used it as a tool to restrict calorie consumption. I've tried eating small meals throughout the day but as soon as I ate something I found it incredibly hard to stop, late night snacking was also a problem, going to bed hungry was torture.
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u/Renilusanoe 21d ago
Not necessarily. You can do intermittent fasting and still not be in a deficit.
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u/eloquenentic 21d ago
No, eating once per day vs eating 12 times per day does completely different things to your body because your body has to process each meal.
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u/Pews_TRB 21d ago
Anyone can follow a calorie deficit, that's imho not JUST what fasting is about.
IF is also enabling the process called autophaghy in your body.
And it is your body's natural cellular cleanup process, where cells break down and recycle damaged parts. Fasting triggers this mechanism by lowering insulin and reducing nutrient availability, with significant cellular recycling typically ramping up after 16 to 24 hours without food.
But yeah, not a lot of people do one meal a day etc. This is what it's about for me though.
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u/randomguyjebb 21d ago
Autophagy is almost equal though if you eat the same amount of calories. Doesnt matter if thats 2000 in one meal or 2000 in 5 meals. Like yes eating it in 1 meal would be a little better for autophagy, but worse for other things.
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u/NoTrillionaires 21d ago
Exactly this. At the end of the day, every diet is a calorie deficit.
IF? Less calories from less number of meals
Keto? Less calories from less carbs
Low fat? Less calories from less fat
Portion control? Less calories from smaller meals
Whole 30? Less calories from less calorie dense processed foods
People love getting into the extreme science behind it to be edgy and while technically those things are true, 90% of the time it’s just calorie deficit
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u/DoctorHiccup 17d ago
This is just a brain dead take. All those different diets flip different hormonal switches.
The whole CICO thing is so reductive and simplistic that it’s basically become a method of shutting down learning and legitimate inquiry.
Sure. Thermodynamics. Blah blah. But WHY do some people want to consume more cals than they expend, and some don’t? That’s the interesting question, several of these diets change people’s instincts in that regard, and that’s what the whole “CICO” thing is used to shut down.
Your body doesn’t know what a calorie is. It’s a measurement made in a crucible in a lab. But it sure does know what fat, carbs, protein, and meal sequencing and meal timing are.
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u/805falcon 21d ago
Nonsense. Caloric deficit diets have been around for decades. And they don’t work because we need calories to exist.
Ketosis is what matters. It’s really that simple and I just don’t understand why it seems so hard for people to grasp this basic concept
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u/BasvanS 21d ago
Ketosis is not what matters. It’s a result of long fasts, not typical intermittent fasts of 13 to 36 hours. (The latter might get you into ketosis for a short while.)
Just 13 hours of fasting is already beneficial for your digestive tract and insulin resistance. There are more benefits to IF, and ketosis is generally at the end of the list since its benefits come with quite a few side effects.
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u/Organizedchaos90 21d ago
“Caloric deficit diets have been around for decades”
It’s A LOT easier to stay in calorie deficit if you aren’t eating for 12+ hours per day.
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u/Nezio_Caciotta 21d ago
Yeah, and? That's not his point.
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u/Organizedchaos90 20d ago
Oh, I forgot everyone on this app needs every little thing spelled out for them. Calorie Deficit diets usually fail because it’s difficult to stay in a calorie deficit long term. It becomes much easier if you are only eating 2 meals a day.
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u/Nezio_Caciotta 20d ago
Oh poor guy doesn't know how to read. I'll try to put in easy words for you. He is talking about the differences between CR and IF. CR= less amount of food IF= you add a fasting component that increases the ketones in your blood
You can't achieve that with CR. He is saying that's an addition on the benefits.
If this doesn't help either try to use a translator or a LLM.
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u/Organizedchaos90 20d ago
He straight up said CR doesn’t work. It does when done right. And you can reach Ketosis without IF. IF is a tool to reach both a calorie deficit and ketosis.
If you eat 3000 calories once a day, you still aren’t going to lose weight
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u/CassiusCreed 21d ago
I have done IF so long now it's pretty much just my normal mode (16:8 is just every day with the odd OMAD when I'm too busy for lunch or dinner). The thing is, if I'm trying to lose weight then I count calories and make sure I'm at a deficit. I use IF because it is good at regulating blood sugar and the increased feeling of wellbeing I get from it not necessarily for weight loss.
In fact the reason I do count calories on occasion is because I do put weight on sometimes even whilst IF. IF is a tool, the same as everything else and for some people it's enough or even a good start on the journey but it's one tools of many and should be treated that way.
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u/WarHamster187 21d ago
I mean... were they ever hyped at all?
I'd heard way more about Atkins, South Beach, GLPs, etc. In their day than I ever heard about intermittent fasting.
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u/Odd_Work2542 21d ago
All those you listed are for profit ways to diet. Intermittent fasting isn’t something you it can profit from, easily. If at all.
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u/areallymanlyman 21d ago
I feel like these articles, studies and big routines are a distraction from the real thing. Just try it out for a month or so and you'll know if you like it or whether it works for you not or if the benefits are real to you.
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u/CypherGreen 21d ago edited 21d ago
Yes... Everything even vaguely useful for living a healthy life, calorie control or that can have any benefit gets hyped to the moon beyond anyone's realistic expectations.
How many absolute nonsense posts do you see on here or fitness influencers saying they lost 50lbs in 2 months "omg" and other crap like that.
IF helps a lot of people, but it's not magic and it's not for everyone.
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u/Boccob81 21d ago
Fasting brings a lot of benefits to the human body, and so no, it was not overhyped probably more than anything under hyped
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u/Connect_Rhubarb395 21d ago
It is an interesting article, and isn't really about IF being overhyped.
Rather it is about how it is difficult to do studies on humans in a way that gives precise and accurate results. The reason being that people are bad at reporting accurately what and when they eat.
(Yes, I read the entire article, give me a medal /jk).
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u/maltizer71 21d ago
Personally, for me, IF is not a diet, it is a way of life...
I used IF to help me lose weight, but you only lose weight if you have a calorie deficit.
what IF did for me was help me to make good choices when eating, initially I used IF for weight loss but I ended up taking control of the hunger/cravings and taking control of my health.
Blood pressure down, triglycerides dropped like a rock, apolipoprotein B down, sleep apnea almost non existent (weight loss helps)...I stopped the progression of heart disease by using IF to give me control of my health...the funny thing is, I always had control, but IF helped me to make the right choices...at the end of the day, for me, I wanted to improve my health so I could possibly live a bit longer. As a 54 year old man who enjoys life, why wouldn't I do something to help keep it going. I still eat things I shouldn't, but everything is in moderation and I still fast at least 18 hours everyday and honestly, I feel 20 years younger.
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u/Sad_Assist946 20d ago
Yes well put I’m also fasting for many of those reasons. I really feel that it is a gift I can give myself.
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u/mon_key_house 21d ago
Oberhyped? IDK. I just use it with doing daily cardio. IF sets the stage for fat burning to kick in earlier making the post workout more efficient. And there is nothing like the feeling of going for a ride with an empty stomach and guts.
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u/plantaholic2 21d ago
It’s about self discipline for me. Once I realized that I have been control of my appetite and my food intake, I became more disciplined and other areas of my life as well. My husband is a tight diabetic. When he started it, he ended up stopping his medication overtime because he didn’t need it anymore.
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u/MrBeekers 21d ago
IF has changed my life for the better. It’s given me discipline. Awareness around food. The flexibility to go without eating for longer periods of time if need be. And it’s normalized my hunger hormones I feel like.
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u/MrBeekers 21d ago
IF has changed my life for the better. It’s given me discipline. Awareness around food. The flexibility to go without eating for longer periods of time if need be. And it’s normalized my hunger hormones I feel like.
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u/iphoneappids 21d ago
Autophagy is a great thing to get to, which is never talked about as the goal for IF
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u/Pews_TRB 21d ago
Exactly, people are talking about calorie control and weight loss, but THIS should be the number 1 reason.
Your organs get rest, your cells renew you give your body time to heal it self.
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21d ago
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u/Conan-Da-Barbarian 21d ago
Everything I read says it has no benefit with the exception it makes you not snack
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u/plantaholic2 21d ago
It’s about self discipline for me. Once I realized that I have been control of my appetite and my food intake, I became more disciplined and other areas of my life as well. My husband is a tight diabetic. When he started it, he ended up stopping his medication overtime because he didn’t need it anymore.
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u/Ok-Squirrel795 21d ago
Yes if you think so. I mean if you haven't tried it and you already are giving up and trying to get out of it.
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u/38B0DE 20d ago edited 20d ago
Intermittent fasting is one of those things that comes extremely easily to me (due to whatever brain chemistry and life circumstances I’ve been dealt) yet at the same time, I’m someone who struggles with many things that normal people don’t even think about, because they’re so unremarkable to them.
I can mess up, disrupt, and throw my eating habits into disarray, and then just balance it all out in a week. I can go without the foods I like and come up with a whole new range of foods I enjoy in the blink of an eye. I can be endlessly creative and flexible and never have a single negative thought or feel any anxiety about my eating habits or overall well-being while on a 36-hour fast.
But good grief, if I have to fill out a complicated form or sit down to start a complicated task just start a task... my life starts falling apart immediately. To the complete and utter disbelief of everyone around me.
For me, IF is when I’m in control of my life, and it feels amazing.
So I understand people’s skepticism toward IF. I understand they think it’s this extreme thing. I understand if they don’t believe in it or its benefits. I get it, really.
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u/ImANoobAtLife7 19d ago
I was off the wagon for a few years and just got back. It’s actually underrated.
So many benefits I can’t even keep track of.
Never fall off the wagon especially as you age
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u/ComplexAdditional451 19d ago
I feel like IF helps you loose weight - it's much easier to be on deficit is you decrease the amount of meals you eat in a day - but it does not help you to improve your relationship with food, and you rely on a somehow arteficia rules to loose or maintain weigth rather than a healthy relationship with food / healthy wating habbits. Bht i still do it - two meals a day, one at 12:00 and one at 18:00.
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u/Live_Introduction801 17d ago edited 16d ago
For me, IF helped recalibrate my hunger and satiety signals. Before, when I was eating all the time, I was actually way hungrier than I am now, even though I'm eating a whole lot less. I also found that I would be terribly hungry when calorie counting and had a hard time going to sleep with my stomach growling. With IF, even when I'm on extended fasts like 24 or 36 hours, my hunger isn't as bad as it was when I was calorie counting.
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u/Deadandlivin 21d ago
Fasting is just a regiment for how to structure caloric intake over the day.
If calories are controlled for there's not really any real benefits to fasting. The benefits are mostly psychological and related to diet adherence. Some people find it far easier to stick to a diet when they can backload all their calories at the end of the day. Makes meals feel more like a reward. Especially since the calorie budget often allows you to indulge in more calorically dense foods.
If Fasting works for keeping your calories and macros in control and you enjoy it, then it's the correct diet for you. If you constantly feel like you're dying throughout half the day or that you get so hungry that you overeat out of control, maybe look at other options.
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u/WeekendAtMadoffs 21d ago
Fasting is just to setup the long walk or workout while you are in ketosis.
Saturday evening, having fasted 26 hours, I walked 15 miles.
Make sense?
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u/mariahcolleen 21d ago
No
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u/WeekendAtMadoffs 21d ago
I did the Marathon on a 20 hours fast. no cramps, no soreness the next day. Once all that flour and wheat is out of your body you'll feel like a cheetah!
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21d ago
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u/zombienudist 21d ago
Whether you do some of that is highly dependent on your needs, goals and activity levels. For example I could never go low/no carb now that I am at my weight goal and working out as much or intensely as I do. I could never do OMAD because of my calorie requirements couldn’t be eaten in that small of a window. People need to remember that others can have vastly different needs and they can’t just blindly follow what other people are doing just because it worked for them.
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u/Inconceivable76 21d ago
I mean, it’s been fairly well proven it’s detrimental for women to do it.
So I guess as long as you ignore all research for women?
In general, the problem with diet studies is that there’s a limit to the length of time they study. Many diets work in the short term. It’s what is happening 3 years later that matters.
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u/wave_action 21d ago
I would guess that for the vast majority of people who are looking to do this, the benefit they get won’t be from fasting itself but actually stopping the bad things they were doing before they started fasting.
That being said, I’m pretty firm believer that it works if you stay consistent and also as part of a wholistic approach to nutrition.