Optimal dosage of exercise combined with intermittent fasting for body composition and cardiometabolic health in adults: a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis - PubMed
6 hours ago
- #metabolic health
- #intermittent fasting
- #exercise optimization
- Combined exercise and intermittent fasting (EX + IF) significantly reduces body mass, BMI, body fat percentage, fat mass, waist circumference, and visceral fat compared to control conditions.
- EX + IF does not significantly affect fat-free mass or lean body mass, preserving muscle mass during weight loss.
- Cardiometabolic improvements include reductions in total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, interleukin-6, and enhancements in fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and VO2max.
- Optimal dosage for maximal effects is 45-60 minutes per session, 4 sessions per week (230-300 minutes weekly), over 14-30 weeks, accumulating 7,463-8,592 minutes of total training time.
- This approach is particularly beneficial for middle-aged adults with overweight/obesity aiming for weight loss and improved insulin resistance, based on a meta-analysis of 65 RCTs with 3,293 participants.