About this Resource
The 5:2 diet is a form of intermittent fasting that involves five days of eating whatever you want and two days of significant caloric restriction per week. The 5:2 diet is sometimes marketed as being easier to adhere to than a traditional, continuous energy restricted diet. However, the evidence generally indicates that weight loss on a 5:2 diet is often similar to other diets, including other intermittent fasting protocols.
Grounded in the Research
“The 5:2 diet involves 2 consecutive or nonconsecutive energy-restricted days each week alternated with 5 d of habitual energy intake. Restrictions on dietary intake on fasting days differ between protocols, and intakes range from a complete caloric fast to a maximum intake of ∼25% of total daily energy needs.”
Excerpt from: Schroor, M. M., Joris, P. J., Plat, J., & Mensink, R. P. (2024). Effects of Intermittent Energy Restriction Compared with Those of Continuous Energy Restriction on Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Risk Markers–A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials in Adults. Advances in Nutrition, 15(1), 100130.
References
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[7] Schroor, M. M., Joris, P. J., Plat, J., & Mensink, R. P. (2024). Effects of Intermittent Energy Restriction Compared with Those of Continuous Energy Restriction on Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Risk Markers – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials in Adults. Advances in Nutrition, 15(1), 100130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2023.10.003
[8] Elortegui Pascual, P., Rolands, M. R., Eldridge, A. L., Kassis, A., Mainardi, F., Lê, K. A., … & Varady, K. A. (2023). A Meta‐Analysis comparing the effectiveness of alternate day fasting, the 5: 2 diet, and Time‐Restricted eating for weight loss. Obesity, 31, 9-21. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23568
[9] Cioffi, I., Evangelista, A., Ponzo, V., Ciccone, G., Soldati, L., Santarpia, L., … & Bo, S. (2018). Intermittent versus continuous energy restriction on weight loss and cardiometabolic outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Translational Medicine, 16, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-018-1748-4
[10] Harris, L., McGarty, A., Hutchison, L., Ells, L., & Hankey, C. (2018). Short‐term intermittent energy restriction interventions for weight management: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Obesity Reviews, 19(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12593
[11] Schwingshackl, L., Zähringer, J., Nitschke, K., Torbahn, G., Lohner, S., Kühn, T., … & Meerpohl, J. J. (2021). Impact of intermittent energy restriction on anthropometric outcomes and intermediate disease markers in patients with overweight and obesity: systematic review and meta-analyses. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 61(8), 1293-1304. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2020.1757616