Purpose of review
This article provides an overview of the most recent human trials that have examined the impact of
intermittent fasting on
glucose homeostasis.
Recent findings
Our literature search retrieved one human trial of
alternate day fasting, and three trials of
Ramadan fasting published in the past 12 months. Current evidence suggests that 8 weeks of
alternate day fasting that produces mild weight loss (4% from baseline) has no effect on
glucose homeostasis. As for
Ramadan fasting, decreases in fasting glucose, insulin, and
insulin resistance have been noted after 4 weeks in healthy normal weight individuals with mild weight loss (1–2% from baseline). However,
Ramadan fasting may have little impact on glucoregulatory parameters in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome who failed to observe weight loss.
Summary
Whether
intermittent fasting is an effective means of regulating
glucose homeostasis remains unclear because of the scarcity of studies in this area. Large-scale, longer-term randomized controlled trials will be required before the use of fasting can be recommended for the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases.
