Intermittent Fasting Can Treat Prediabetes

Prediabetes affects 88 million Americans, and most Americans don't know they have the condition. Intermittent fasting (IF) is a weight-loss approach that works well for weight loss and other cardiometabolic conditions. And using IF may be an effective treatment for individuals with prediabetes. A recent study done in China looked at 101 overweight and obese adults with prediabetes to determine if IF was effective in treating prediabetes.

For the study, the researchers used two forms of IF. They used alternate day fasting (ADF) where the participants were instructed to eat 600 calories in fasting days, and to eat normally on non-fasting days. The researchers also used a time restricted fasting (TRF)  protocol, where participants were instructed to fast for sixteen hours during a day, and eat normally during an eight hour period (16/8 TRF).

The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 34 participants were assigned to the ADF group, 31 participants were assigned to the 16/8 TRF group, and 34 participants were assigned to the control group. The study lasted three months.

At the close of the study, the ADF and 16/8 TRF groups saw greater decreases in body weight, BMI, and waist circumference than the control group. And both intervention groups showed substantial decreases in blood sugars and lipids. The ADF group saw even greater weight and BMI reductions than the 16/8 TRF group.

The study suggests that incorporating intermittent fasting regimens into regular eating patterns might help people with prediabetes minimize their risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

We know that weight loss is an important tool for lowering the glucose levels in people with prediabetes. And IF may be another weapon in the arsenal that providers can use to treat prediabetes.  Therefore, providers might want to consider IF for the treatment of prediabetes, as well as weight loss.

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