16:8 Diet For Weight Loss: How Does it Work?

The 16:8 diet involves 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of feasting.

Trying to lose weight? Here’s the latest weight loss trend - 16:8 diet.

As per a latest study by University of Illinois at Chicago, the 16:8 diet (which involves 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of feasting) helps aid weight loss in obese people.

The Study

The researchers of this study observed 23 obese individuals who were 45 years of age (on an average). They had an average body mass index of 35.

For this study, the participants were allowed to eat anything between 10 am and 6 pm everyday for 12 weeks. But for the remaining 16 hours, they were instructed to drink only water or any ‘calorie-free beverages’. This is why the diet is named 16:8.

Post 12 weeks, when the results were compared to historical data of similar studies done for different diets, the researchers found that the 16:8 diet helped the participants consume fewer number of calories which helped them lose weight.

The data also showed that the blood pressure levels of the participants had also improved over the course of 12 weeks.

Data collected post 12 weeks showed that the participants consumed at least 350 lesser calories and lost about 3 percent of their overall body weight.

Obesity is a serious health issue worldwide. Reports suggest that one in every ten people worldwide is suffering from obesity.

Though the overall obesity rate in India is still low – less than 5 percent – the World Health Organisation suggests it is rising at the fastest pace in developing countries.

Any individual is considered ‘overweight’ when his/her’s body mass index falls anywhere between 25 and 30 and anything beyond 30 is considered ‘obese’.

This study is the first done to observe the effects of a 16:8 diet. More studies are needed to check the diet’s long term viability.

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