The effect of intermittent fasting on mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes and metabolic disease with high cardiovascular risk: A systematic review

Abstract

Background. Intermittent fasting (IF) is a modern method of modifying eating behavior in patients who cannot tolerate calorie restriction. Intermittent fasting is effective in weight loss and has different types, which allows patients to adopt the type they are most comfortable with. Intermittent fasting has positive effects on human health, and this can lead IF to be adopted in standard medical care. There is insufficient data on the effect of IF on mortality and health status in patients with comorbid pathology. The aims of this systematic review are to analyze and summarize data from original studies about IF and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes, metabolic disease and high cardiovascular risk. Methods. Original studies published in the last 5 years were selected from MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of science, scopus and Google scholar using PrIsMA guidelines. results. Twenty-nine original articles were selected and analyzed. Intermittent fasting showed a statistically significant reduction in BMI, LDL, TG, HDL and HbA1C. Data from this systematic review shows that IF is a safe and effective way of reducing bMI in patients with co-morbidities. conclusion. Further long-term studies examining the effects of IF on mortality in co-morbid patients are needed.