Intermittent fasting showed slightly better blood pressure improvements than daily calorie restriction.
Cardiovascular disease remains one of the most common causes of death worldwide, and excess body weight is a major factor behind that risk. Because of this, many adults with overweight or obesity are encouraged to change how they eat. A recent study explored whether intermittent fasting offers any advantage over cutting calories every day when it comes to blood pressure and long-term heart risk.
The research used real world data from a national obesity registry in Iran. Adults between the ages of eighteen and sixty-five with a body mass index of at least twenty-five were included if they stayed in the program for three months. People who were pregnant, breastfeeding, taking weight loss drugs, or dealing with medical issues that affect metabolism were not included. Participants followed one of two eating plans based on standard clinic advice rather than random assignment.
One group followed a five two intermittent fasting pattern. On two nonconsecutive days each week, women ate about five hundred calories and men ate about six hundred calories. On the remaining days, they ate normally. The second group reduced calories every day, usually by five hundred to one thousand calories. Both groups ate similar types of food, and dietitians monitored all plans.
At the start and end of the study, researchers measured weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and physical activity. They also used common formulas to estimate thirty-year heart disease risk based on body weight and blood fats. These scores do not predict real events but help compare overall risk.
Eighty-two people completed the study. Most were women, and the average age was mid-thirties. At the beginning, the two groups were similar in weight, habits, and health measures. After twelve weeks, both eating plans led to lower blood pressure and improved measures linked to heart strain.
However, the intermittent fasting group showed slightly larger drops in systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure. These are important because higher values raise the chance of heart problems over time. Only the fasting group saw a clear drop in triglycerides, though the difference between groups was small. Other cholesterol levels and blood sugar stayed mostly the same in both groups.
When long term risk scores were examined, both groups improved, but the drop was larger among those following intermittent fasting when scores were based on body weight. Changes in lipid-based scores were modest and did not clearly separate the two approaches.
The findings suggest that intermittent fasting may offer small added benefits for certain blood pressure measures and estimated heart risk, at least in the short term. Still, the study had limits. It was observational, lasted only three months, and included a small sample. Diet intake was self-reported, and actual heart events were not measured.
Overall, the results support intermittent fasting as a reasonable option for adults with overweight or obesity, especially for those who find daily calorie cutting hard to maintain. Larger studies are needed to see whether these early changes lead to.
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