Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Oct 18:8:669325.
doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.669325. eCollection 2021.

Effect of Epidemic Intermittent Fasting on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Fan Yang  1 , Can Liu  1 , Xu Liu  1   2 , Xiandu Pan  1   2 , Xinye Li  1   2 , Li Tian  1   2 , Jiahao Sun  1   2 , Shengjie Yang  1 , Ran Zhao  1   2 , Na An  1   3 , Xinyu Yang  1   3 , Yonghong Gao  3 , Yanwei Xing  1
Affiliations

Effect of Epidemic Intermittent Fasting on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Fan Yang et al. Front Nutr. .

Abstract

Intermittent fasting (IF) has gained attention as a promising diet for weight loss and dysmetabolic diseases management. This systematic review aimed to investigate the effects of IF on cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs). A systematic literature search was carried out using three electronic databases, namely PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, until October 2020. Randomized controlled trials that compared the IF intervention with a control group diet were included. Fourteen effect sizes were expressed as weighted mean difference (WMD) using a fixed-effects model and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Compared to the ones within control groups, participants exposed to the IF intervention reduced their body weight (WMD, -1.78 kg; 95% CI, -2.21 to -1.35; p <0.05), waist circumference (WMD, -1.19 cm; 95% CI, -1.8 to -0.57; p <0.05), fat mass (WMD, -1.26 kg; 95% CI, -1.57 to -0.95; p <0.05), body mass index (WMD, -0.58 kg/m2; 95% CI, -0.8 to -0.37; p <0.05), systolic blood pressure (WMD, -2.14 mmHg; 95% CI: -3.54 to -0.73; p <0.05), diastolic blood pressure (WMD: -1.38 mmHg, 95% CI, -2.35 to -0.41, p <0.05), fasting blood glucose (WMD: -0.053 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.105 to 0.001; p <0.05), fasting insulin (WMD, -0.8 mIU/L; 95% CI, -1.15 to -0.44; p <0.05), insulin resistance (WMD, -0.21; 95% CI, -0.36 to -0.05; p <0.05), total cholesterol (WMD, -0.10 mmol/L; 95% CI, -0.17 to -0.02; p <0.05), and triglycerides (WMD, -0.09 mmol/L; 95% CI, -0.13 to -0.04; p <0.05). No effects were observed for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or glycosylated hemoglobin. This meta-analysis supports the role of IF in improving the component composition of CMRFs, including weight, waist circumference, fat mass, BMI, blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance, compared to a control group diet. Further research on IF interventions should take into account long-term and well-designed administration to draw definitive conclusions.

Keywords: blood lipid; blood pressure; cardiometabolic risk factors; fasting blood glucose; intermittent fasting; meta-analysis; weight loss.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schema of the search strategy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk-of-bias assessment of the studies included in the meta-analysis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of RCTs investigating the effects of intermittent fasting on body composition (A) Weight, (B) WC, (C) FM, (D) BMI.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Funnel plot displaying no publication bias in the studies reporting the impact of intermittent fasting on body composition (A) Weight, (B) WC, (C) FM, (D) BMI.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot of RCTs investigating the effects of intermittent fasting on glycemic control (A) FBG, (B) Fins, (C) HbA1c, (D) HOMA-IR.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Funnel plot displaying no publication bias in the studies reporting the impact of intermittent fasting on glycemic control (A) FBG, (B) Fins, (C) HbA1c, (D) HOMA-IR.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Forest plot of RCTs investigating the effects of intermittent fasting on blood pressure (A) SBP and (B) DBP.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Funnel plot displaying no publication bias in the studies reporting the impact of intermittent fasting on blood pressure (A) SBP and (B) DBP.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Forest plot of RCTs investigating the effects of intermittent fasting on lipid panel (A) TC, (B) TG, (C) LDL-C, (D) HDL-C.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Funnel plot displaying no publication bias in the studies reporting the impact of intermittent fasting on lipid panel (A) TC, (B) TG, (C) LDL-C, (D) HDL-C.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Eckel RH, Kahn R, Robertson RM, Rizza RA. Preventing cardiovascular disease and diabetes: a call to action from the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association. Circulation. (2006) 113:2943–6. 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.176583 - DOI - PubMed
    1. An N, Gao Y, Si Z, Zhang H, Wang L, Tian C, et al. . Regulatory Mechanisms of the NLRP3 Inflammasome, a Novel Immune-Inflammatory Marker in Cardiovascular Diseases. Front Immunol. (2019) 10:1592. 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01592 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cannon CP. Cardiovascular disease and modifiable cardiometabolic risk factors. Clin Cornerstone. (2007) 8:11–28. 10.1016/S1098-3597(07)80025-1 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nichols GA, Horberg M, Koebnick C, Young DR, Waitzfelder B, Sherwood NE, et al. . Cardiometabolic risk factors among 1.3 million adults with overweight or obesity, but not diabetes, in 10 geographically diverse regions of the United States, 2012-2013. Prev Chronic Dis. (2017) 14:E22. 10.5888/pcd14.160438 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Danaei G, Lu Y, Singh GM, Carnahan E, Stevens GA, Cowan MJ, et al. . Cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes mortality burden of cardiometabolic risk factors from 1980 to 2010: a comparative risk assessment. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. (2014) 2:634–47. 10.1016/S2213-8587(14)70102-0 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types