Background: Previous studies have shown that fasting produces a potential effect in the prevention and treatment of many diseases. However, the role of fasting in people with overweight or obesity remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the intervention of fasting in the regulation of anthropometric and metabolic parameters of subjects with overweight or obesity.
Methods: The PubMed, Cochrane library, Web of science and EMBASE databases were searched from the inception dates to October 2019, identifying published literature evaluating the effect of fasting intervention on the people with overweight or obesity.
Results: Twenty-five studies with 1358 participants with overweight or obesity were included in the meta-analysis. Fasting was associated with the significant reduction of body weight, body mass index (BMI), fat free mass (FEM), fat mass (FM), waist circumference (WC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). However, there was no significant difference in the variations in the total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), blood glucose and insulin concentrations.
Conclusion: Our meta-analysis found that fasting was associated with a significant effect on the regulation of anthropometric (body weight, BMI, FEM, FM and WC) and metabolic parameters (LDL-C, TG, SBP and DBP) in people with overweight or obesity. Considering some limitations found in this study, additional data from large clinical trials are needed.