Both intermittent fasting and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are good for the cardiovascular system and metabolism. This is especially true for people who are overweight and at high risk of disease. A study has now examined whether the combination of these two approaches is more effective than either of them on their own.
The results in the journal Cell Metabolism have been published show that the combination of the two improves the participants’ blood sugar. They were also able to shed fat – particularly visceral or belly fat – twice as fast.
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Both intermittent fasting and HIIT training “are increasingly recognized as effective and viable strategies for at-risk groups,” says study author Trine Moholdt. She and her team wanted to compare the combination of the two “with their isolated effects” to see if there are health improvements for people at risk for cardiometabolic diseases. Their results underscore the importance of “changing both the diet and exercise habits of individuals who want to rapidly improve their health and reduce their risk of disease.”
The study included four groups: HIIT alone, fasting alone, a combination of the two, and a control group. A total of 131 women took part in the study, all of whom were overweight or obese and had risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. When fasting, all daily calories were consumed within a ten-hour window. HIIT training involved training at 90 percent of maximum heart rate for 35 minutes three times a week for seven weeks.
Various measurements were taken before and following the study, including blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood of the participants, and various measurements of blood sugar and insulin levels. “We recommend this type of training for people who want to change their diet and exercise habits and improve their health in a relatively simple way,” says Moholdt. Compared to daily calorie counting, intermittent fasting is “a less tedious and time-saving method of losing weight, and HIIT is tolerable and safe for those who used to spend a lot of time sedentary and can be completed within 30 to 40 minutes.”
