Diet Protocol
Alternating very-low-energy days and normal-intake days.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Superscript reference numbers link to the Sources bibliography.
Composite Rating
Blends evidence depth, community direction, safety friction, and completeness.
Evidence Intensity
100/100
High depth from human/RCT/meta counts
Community Direction
100
Positive Lean • confidence Moderate
Safety Friction
64/100
Moderate signal from adverse/interaction markers
Data Completeness
100%
Studies 16 • mentions 7 • links 25
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Best fit: Users with high structure tolerance and monitoring capacity..[185,1162,2780, etc.]
Goal alignment: Body Composition, Metabolic Health.[185,1162,2780, etc.]
Protocol Type
Diet Plan
Evidence Tier
HIGH
Best Fit
Users with high structure tolerance and monitoring capacity.
Primary Focus
Body Composition, Metabolic Health
Clinical Depth
Humans: 190 • RCTs: 42 • Meta: 30
Cohort / Real-World
Cohort signals: 7
Safety Markers
Adverse signals: 25 • Interactions: 0
Freshness, trend, and study timeline for this item
Status
Trend
↑ Growing evidence base
Depth
190 total studies · 5 recent
Timeline
Total indexed
190
Human studies
190
Randomized trials
42
Meta-analyses
30
Safety adverse signals
25
Adherence/dropout signals
24
Weighted direction score: 100 (Positive Lean)
High when large human trial/meta/cohort volume exists for the named dietary protocol.
Total indexed
190
Human studies
190
Randomized trials
42
Meta-analyses
30
Safety adverse signals
25
Adherence/dropout signals
24
Mechanistic signals
10
Cohort signals
7
Distribution of evidence by study design strength
Evidence Strength: High
PMID 36349432 • 2023 Feb
A meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness of alternate day fasting, the 5:2 diet, and time-restricted eating for weight loss.
Obesity (Silver Spring)
Open PubMedPMID 40533200 • 2025 Jun 18
Intermittent fasting strategies and their effects on body weight and other cardiometabolic risk factors: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials.
BMJ
Open PubMedPMID 29419624 • 2018 Feb
Intermittent fasting interventions for treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Benefit reports: 6
Adverse reports: 0
No-effect reports: 0
Mixed reports: 0
Unclear reports: 1
Signal confidence: 0.63
Benefits
Adverse
No Effect
Community confidence 0.63 with mentions: benefit 6, adverse 0, no-effect 0.
Subreddit coverage: ScientificNutrition, fasting, keto.
post • r/ScientificNutrition • unclear
Effects of Four Weeks of Alternate-Day Fasting with or Without Protein Supplementation
Open mentionpost • r/fasting • benefit
Any experience with alternate day fasting? I’m wondering how difficult it is, how mood can change, and if it’s actually sustainable for losing weight. I’ve done 20 hour fasts in the past for extended periods of time and curious about ADF. …
Open mentionpost • r/ScientificNutrition • benefit
Effect of a ketogenic diet, time-restricted eating, or alternate-day fasting on weight loss in adults with obesity: a randomized clinical trial **ABSTRACT** **Background:** Studies evaluating the effects of novel, alternative dietary appro…
Evidence Sources
PUBMED • Human diet protocol literature
Counts from structured PubMed protocol-specific query set.
Outcome: Humans 190, RCT 42, meta 30, cohort 7.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2023 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 36349432 from Obesity (Silver Spring).
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,, etc.]
Composite of study volume, RCTs, and meta-analyses
JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep
PMID 37299567 • 2023 Jun 1
The Effect of Intermittent Fasting on Appetite: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Nutrients
Open PubMedPMID 37534936 • 2023 Aug 1
Intermittent fasting improves hepatic end points in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Hepatol Commun
Open PubMedPMID 39533312 • 2024 Nov 13
Effects of different types of intermittent fasting on metabolic outcomes: an umbrella review and network meta-analysis.
BMC Med
Open PubMedPMID 36549296 • 2023 Jan 3
Effect of alternate day fasting combined with aerobic exercise on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized controlled trial.
Cell Metab
Open PubMedPMID 28459931 • 2017 Jul 1
Effect of Alternate-Day Fasting on Weight Loss, Weight Maintenance, and Cardioprotection Among Metabolically Healthy Obese Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA Intern Med
Open PubMedPMID 31471173 • 2019 Sep 3
Alternate Day Fasting Improves Physiological and Molecular Markers of Aging in Healthy, Non-obese Humans.
Cell Metab
Open PubMedPMID 35050952 • 2022 Feb 1
Intermittent Fasting in Weight Loss and Cardiometabolic Risk Reduction: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
J Nurs Res
Open PubMedPMID 36868222 • 2023 Jun 6
Sustained alternate-day fasting potentiates doxorubicin cardiotoxicity.
Cell Metab
Open PubMedPMID 34135111 • 2021 Jun 16
A randomized controlled trial to isolate the effects of fasting and energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic health in lean adults.
Sci Transl Med
Open PubMedPMID 38674802 • 2024 Apr 10
Effects of Different Types of Intermittent Fasting Interventions on Metabolic Health in Healthy Individuals (EDIF): A Randomised Trial with a Controlled-Run in Phase.
Nutrients
Open PubMedPMID 39182843 • 2024 Oct
Picalm, a novel regulator of GLUT4-trafficking in adipose tissue.
Mol Metab
Open PubMedPMID 30046988 • 2018 Aug
Intermittent Fasting (Alternate Day Fasting) in Healthy, Non-obese Adults: Protocol for a Cohort Trial with an Embedded Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.
Adv Ther
Open PubMedPMID 40371575 • 2025 May 20
Circulating Proteomics Identifies a Dynamic Profile of Hepatic Steatosis During Metabolic Intervention.
J Am Heart Assoc
Open PubMedpost • r/ScientificNutrition • benefit
Effect of a ketogenic diet, time-restricted eating, or alternate-day fasting on weight loss in adults with obesity: a randomized clinical trial Abstract Background: Studies evaluating the effects of novel, alternative dietary approaches fo…
Open mentionpost • r/fasting • benefit
Currently on Day 7 of a Fast + 10 months Progress Photos Stats: 29F | 5’7” SW: 185 | CW: 154 | GW: 140 I’m on Day 7 of my 3rd annual extended fast (just water, black coffee, and electrolytes) and feeling incredible. My personal record is 8…
Open mentionpost • r/keto • benefit
Was just diagnosed with Grade 2 fatty liver Hey all, I was given a rather surprising diagnosis that I have a grade 2 fatty liver incidentally when I did an ultrasound for my gall bladder (just wanted to get it checked since I have right sh…
Open mentioncomment • r/ScientificNutrition • benefit
**Background/Objectives**: Long-term alternate-day fasting (ADF) effectively combats obesity, but its short-term effects are less clear. Like other diets, ADF-induced weight loss often includes muscle loss, and whether protein supplementat…
Open mentionCommunity Sources
PUBMED • 2025 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 40533200 from BMJ.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2018 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 29419624 from JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2023 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 37299567 from Nutrients.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2023 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 37534936 from Hepatol Commun.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2024 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 39533312 from BMC Med.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2023 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 36549296 from Cell Metab.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2017 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 28459931 from JAMA Intern Med.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2019 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 31471173 from Cell Metab.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2022 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 35050952 from J Nurs Res.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2023 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 36868222 from Cell Metab.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2021 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 34135111 from Sci Transl Med.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2024 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 38674802 from Nutrients.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2024 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 39182843 from Mol Metab.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2018 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 30046988 from Adv Ther.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2025 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 40371575 from J Am Heart Assoc.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[2780,2935,3065, etc.]
Open source