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
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Feb 1;46(2):463-468.
doi: 10.2337/dc22-1622.

Efficacy and Safety of Intermittent Fasting in People With Insulin-Treated Type 2 Diabetes (INTERFAST-2)-A Randomized Controlled Trial

Anna Obermayer  1   2 , Norbert J Tripolt  1   2 , Peter N Pferschy  1   2   3 , Harald Kojzar  1   2 , Faisal Aziz  1   2 , Alexander Müller  1   2 , Markus Schauer  2 , Abderrahim Oulhaj  4   5 , Felix Aberer  1   2 , Caren Sourij  6 , Hansjörg Habisch  7 , Tobias Madl  7   8 , Thomas Pieber  2   3 , Barbara Obermayer-Pietsch  2   9 , Vanessa Stadlbauer  3   10 , Harald Sourij  1   2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Efficacy and Safety of Intermittent Fasting in People With Insulin-Treated Type 2 Diabetes (INTERFAST-2)-A Randomized Controlled Trial

Anna Obermayer et al. Diabetes Care. .

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the safety and feasibility of 3 nonconsecutive days of intermittent fasting (IF) per week over 12 weeks in participants with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes.

Research design and methods: Forty-six people were randomized to an IF or control group. Dietary counseling and continuous glucose monitoring was provided. Coprimary end points were the change in HbA1c from baseline to 12 weeks and a composite end point (weight reduction ≥2%, insulin dose reduction ≥10%, and HbA1c reduction ≥3 mmol/mol).

Results: The IF group showed a significant HbA1c reduction (-7.3 ± 12.0 mmol/mol) compared with the control group (0.1 ± 6.1 mmol/mol) over 12 weeks (P = 0.012). The coprimary end point was achieved by 8 people in the IF and none in the control group (P < 0.001). No severe hypoglycemia occurred.

Conclusions: IF is a safe and feasible dietary option to ameliorate glycemic control while reducing total daily insulin dose and body weight in insulin-treated people with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Figure 1
Figure 1
Trial flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Change in HbA1c from baseline to 12 weeks in control and IF group. Data are displayed as mean ± SEM. *P = 0.012.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Coprimary end point; percentage of participants achieving each individual aspect and the combined coprimary end point. *P < 0.05, ***P < 0.001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zhou B, Lu Y, Hajifathalian K, et al. . NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) . Worldwide trends in diabetes since 1980: a pooled analysis of 751 population-based studies with 4.4 million participants. Lancet 2016;387:1513–1530 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Davies MJ, D’Alessio DA, Fradkin J, et al. . Management of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes, 2018. A Consensus Report by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Diabetes Care 2018;41:2669–2701 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Barnosky AR, Hoddy KK, Unterman TG, Varady KA. Intermittent fasting vs daily calorie restriction for type 2 diabetes prevention: a review of human findings. Transl Res 2014;164:302–311 - PubMed
    1. Evert AB, Dennison M, Gardner CD, et al. . Nutrition therapy for adults with diabetes or prediabetes: a consensus report. Diabetes Care 2019;42:731–754 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Varady KA, Cienfuegos S, Ezpeleta M, Gabel K. Clinical application of intermittent fasting for weight loss: progress and future directions. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2022;18:309–321 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources