"Fasting diets have gained popularity in the past few years but the scientific evidence proving that they keep us healthy while they help us lose weight is sparse. Now researchers have shed light on what one type of timerestricted eating does to the body. In a small preliminary study httpscontent.iospress.comarticlesnutritionandhealthyagingnha researchers put  obese volunteers on the  diet a form of intermittent fasting. Followers of the popular regime eat during an eighthour window in this case between  a.m. and  p.m. And for the  hours in between they consume only caloriefree drinks such as water. For  weeks the scientists measured various factors including the participants fat mass blood pressure and cholesterol and glucose levels. The researchers compared the results to existing data from a separate weight loss trial carried out between  and .  Individuals who ate between  a.m. and  p.m. consumed around  fewer calories resulting in a loss of  percent body weight and their blood pressure dropped by around mm Hg. However their fat mass insulin resistance and cholesterol levels were similar to the control groups. Krista Varady one of the studys authors and associate professor of kinesiology and nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicagos School of Applied Health Sciences said in a statement that the takehome message from the study is that cutting out certain foods or counting calories arent the only effective methods for losing weight. The authors noted that the results mirror those from previous studies of other forms of intermittent fasting including alternate day fasting where an individual eats normally every other day.  But one of the benefits of the  diet may be that it is easier for people to maintain. We observed that fewer participants dropped out of this study when compared to studies on other fasting diets said Varady. Further research is now needed to uncover whether  works better than other fasting diets in terms of weight loss and health benefits.  The studys authors acknowledged that their preliminary data offers promise for the use of timerestricted feeding as a weight loss technique in obese adults but longerterm largescale randomized controlled trials are needed. Varady stressed that when it comes to weight loss people need to find what works for them because even small amounts of success can lead to improvements in metabolic health. Commenting broadly on faststyle diets James Catterson of the Institute of Healthy Ageing at University College London who was not involved in the study previously told  https https the jury is still out on fasting diets. He said that the data on the effects of fasting in animals are more convincing probably because animals can be investigated in large sample sizes and in a highly controlled environment that is almost impossible to replicate in humans. There are also many studies that either report no overall effect or sometimes the opposite. And this is where it gets a bit murky as it is very difficult to put proper controls in place when performing studies to do with nutrition Catterson said.  He concluded So far the consensus seems to be lets wait until more rigorous studies with larger sample sizes that adjust for confounding lifestyle behaviors have been performed before we conclude anything prematurely."