Intermittent Fasting may have beneficial effect on Glycemic Control, Lipids, and Inflammation, suggests research

A new study published in the journal of Frontiers in Nutrition showed that a decrease in fasting blood sugar (FBS), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), insulin levels, HbA1c, LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), and the inflammatory marker IL-6 are among the metabolic parameters that appear to benefit from intermittent fasting, indicating improved glycemic control, lipid profile, and inflammation.

By increasing insulin sensitivity, encouraging weight reduction, and lowering systemic inflammation, intermittent fasting has drawn interest as a nutritional approach that may enhance metabolic outcomes. Intermittent fasting affects oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, and hormone regulation by causing a metabolic shift from glucose to fat use.

The promise of intermittent fasting as a practical, non-pharmacological strategy for controlling metabolic syndrome is highlighted by emerging clinical and experimental data that it can improve blood pressure, lipid profiles, and glycemic control. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis assessed how fasting affected inflammatory indicators, lipid profiles, and glycemic management.

Relevant papers published up until September 2025 were retrieved using databases including PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. The Cochrane Risk-of-Bias 2 (RoB2) method was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Also, the quality of the evidence was assessed using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) method.

The present meta-analysis comprised 10 trials with a total of 701 participants. Fasting blood sugar (FBS) [standard mean difference (SMD) = -0.51; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.81, -0.20; p = 0.001], insulin (SMD = -0.27; 95% CI: -0.52, -0.03; p = 0.027), Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) (SMD = -0.39; 95% CI: -0.65, -0.12; p = 0.004), and HbA1c (SMD = -0.25; 95% CI: -0.49, -0.02; p = 0.034) were all significantly decreased.

Additionally, the regimen effectively improved the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) (SMD = -0.30; 95% CI: -0.57, -0.03; p = 0.029) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (SMD = -0.34; 95% CI: -0.53, -0.14; p = 0.001). The sensitivity analysis showed that the overall effect size (ES) for FBS, blood sugar (BS), HOMA-IR, LDL-C, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was unaffected by removing any one research.

Additionally, the robustness of the data is shown by the GRADE approach's high quality of evidence scores for FBS, insulin, HOMA-IR, HbA1c, total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, and IL-6. Egger's and Begg's test revealed no indication of publication bias (p > 0.05). Overall, the results indicate that the metabolic panel, including FBS, insulin, HOMA-IR (HbA1c), LDL-C, and IL-6 levels, may benefit from intermittent fasting.

Source:

Song, Q., Almutairi, A. S. H., Almutairi, M. F. A., Jamilian, P., & Abu-Zaid, A. (2025). Intermittent fasting improves metabolic outcomes in metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis with GRADE evaluation. Frontiers in Nutrition, 12(1664811),. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1664811