Intermittent fasting strategies and their effects on body weight and other cardiometabolic risk factors: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials
Objective To assess the effect of intermittent fasting diets, with continuous energy restriction or unrestricted (ad-libitum) diets on intermediate cardiometabolic outcomes from randomised clinical trials. Design Systematic review and network meta-analysis. Data sources Medline, Embase, and central databases from inception to 14 November 2024. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Randomised clinical trials comparing the association of intermittent fasting diets (alternate day fasting, time restricted eating, and whole day fasting), continuous energy restriction, and ad-libitum diets were included. Main outcomes Outcomes included body weight (primary) and measures of anthropometry, glucose metabolism, lipid profiles, blood pressure, C-reactive protein, and markers of liver disease. Data synthesis A network meta-analysis based on a frequentist framework was performed with data expressed as mean difference with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The certainty of the evidence was assess
