Addressing Adolescent Obesity through Intermittent Fasting

Summary: A New clinical study in Australia shows that intermittent fasting is as good for weight loss in adolescents as continuous calorie restriction. Both these methods are associated with equal weight loss and improvement in cardiometabolic outcomes.

Obesity is now one of the most significant health problems in the US and globally. Unmanaged obesity increases the risk of almost all non-infectious diseases. Thus, to reduce the risk of various chronic ailments, we need to start fighting obesity.

Another worry is that obesity is starting earlier now. It means that a large number of children and adolescents are obese these days. Most obese adolescents will continue to remain obese when they become adults, and even worse, they are likelier to develop chronic health issues much earlier.

Thus, for example, CDC data shows that almost 20% of adolescents are obese in the US. Yes, those are massive numbers. Additionally, one must not forget that an equal number of adolescents are overweight, too.

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This highlights the importance of weight loss in adolescents. However, children are different. They have different nutritional requirements, considering that they need specific nutrients in higher amounts for continued growth. So, the question arises: What is the ideal way for weight control in adolescents?

Well, of course, quite like in adults, the primary way to reduce body weight is countering the root cause of obesity, which is excessive calorie intake. However, there are many ways of reducing calorie intake. One may opt for intermittent fasting or intermittent energy restriction (IER); alternatively, adolescents might switch to continuous energy restriction (CER). So, what method is better?

A new study published in one of the reputed journals, JAMA Pediatrics, suggests that both of these methods are equally good. This means that IER and CER are equally good for reducing adolescent body weight and improving other health indicators like cardio-metabolic markers.

This new study was a comparative study that focused on the effectiveness of the two most popular weight loss dietary measures. The study compared intermittent energy restriction (IER) with continuous energy restriction. These are the two most popular and effective weight loss dietary strategies.

This study was conducted in Australia in 141 adolescents who followed one of the above dietary measures for almost a year. All participants started with an introductory, very low-calorie diet (VLCD) for four weeks (800 kcal/day) and then were randomized into two groups. One of the groups received IE or intermittent fasting, which restricted calorie intake to 600-700 kcal three days a week. In contrast, the second group switched to the CER diet, with total daily calories ranging from 1430 to 1900 kcal/day, depending on the age of participants.

It is worth noticing that since these young adults were on a restrictive diet, they were given multivitamins daily to prevent micronutrient deficiency.

This study found that both these dietary strategies were equally good for weight loss and improving metabolic health. Both groups experienced similar degrees of weight loss and had similar improvements in body composition and cardiometabolic outcomes. Further, both groups showed similar improvements in insulin resistance. The groups also had no significant difference in hepatic function and dyslipidemia.

This is the first study of its kind that shows that when it comes to managing obesity in adolescents, both intermittent fasting and continuous calorie restriction are equally good methods. Hence, doctors or dietitians can recommend any of these methods depending on what is more workable or acceptable to the person.

In intermittent fasting, one has to restrict total calorie intake significantly, but only for three days a week, and one can consume a healthy and balanced diet for four other days a week. Continuous calorie restriction involves reducing total daily calorie intake, but one does not have to opt for fasting or extreme calorie restrictions. So, each method has pros and cons, and adolescents can choose between the methods for body weight management.

Source

Lister, N. B., Baur, L. A., House, E. T., Alexander, S., Brown, J., Collins, C. E., Cowell, C. T., Day, K., Garnett, S. P., Gow, M. L., Grunseit, A. M., Henderson, M., Inkster, M.-K., Kwok, C., Lang, S., Paxton, S. J., Truby, H., Varady, K. A., & Jebeile, H. (2024). Intermittent Energy Restriction for Adolescents With Obesity: The Fast Track to Health Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2869