Intermittent Fasting Often Misunderstood as Diet โฃfor Rapidโข Fat Loss, Expert Says
Madrid, Spain – Despiteโฃ its surging popularity, intermittent fastingโ is frequently perceived as aโค quick-fix โdiet for weight loss when โขit’s actually simply “one more tool” available for nutritional strategies, โaccording to nutritionist and Doctor โฃof Sports Sciences Josรฉ Francisco Lรณpez Gil.โ Speakingโข on the Fit โฃGeneration Nutrition podcast,โข Lรณpez gil clarifiedโ that scientific evidence โคdoesn’t definitively proveโ intermittent fasting โis superiorโข to traditional calorie-controlled diets.
The expertโ explained that studiesโ showing positive effectsโ on fat loss often fail to account for overallโ caloricโฃ intake, raising the question ofโ whether the results stemโ from theโ fasting โขpattern โฃitself โorโ simply reduced calorie consumption. Research comparing intermittent โfasting to โคa standard hypocaloric diet with five meals has not demonstrated a clear advantage for the fasting approach.
While some “specificโ markers” may showโข slight improvements in individuals practicing intermittent fasting – suchโ as insulin sensitivity – Lรณpez Gil cautioned that these improvements could also be โattributed to weight loss in general.โ
He emphasized that โคintermittent fasting โis not a universally beneficial method and is not recommended for certainโ populations, including pregnant โขwomen, children, and the elderly. โคSpecifically, โคrestricting meals during a โฃchild’s growth and advancement phase increases the risk ofโ nutritional deficiencies. while individualized โฃguidance from a nutritionist could possiblyโ make it viable for โขsome children, Lรณpez Gil โstatedโ it should โnot be promotedโ as a public health message.
“Normally people see it as a โคdiet” and “use it to looseโ more fat,” Lรณpez โGil โขnoted, โขdirectly addressing the common misconceptionโข surrounding the eating pattern. He reiterated that it’s โcrucial to understand intermittent fasting isn’tโ a diet inโ itself, but rather a potential component within aโ broader โnutritional plan.
