Intermittent Fasting Maintains Weight Loss for a Year
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- University of Granada researchers led a study showing that a 12-week time-restricted eating intervention produced weight-loss benefits lasting one year after the program ended.
- Participants in the early and late eight-hour eating windows maintained significantly more weight loss than those with 12+ hour eating periods, with early eaters also preserving greater fat mass reduction.
- Dr. Alba Camacho-Cardenosa stated the study demonstrated for the first time that intermittent fasting’s weight-loss effects persist long-term, even after the structured intervention ended.
- One in three participants continued intermittent fasting on their own during the follow-up year, suggesting the habit is feasible and sustainable outside clinical settings.
- The study, published in Clinical Nutrition, followed 99 adults with overweight or obesity and found both early (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) and late (1 p.m.–9 p.m.) eating windows were effective for sustained weight management.
Why it matters: Adults with overweight or obesity who complete a short-term intermittent fasting program can maintain meaningful weight loss for at least a year, increasing the approach’s viability as a scalable, flexible tool in long-term obesity treatment without requiring continuous oversight.
