University of Granada study examines intermittent fasting and exercise

A clinical study conducted by the University of Granada, known as the TEMPUS program, has investigated the effects of combining intermittent fasting with structured exercise on adults with obesity. The 12-week study involved 187 participants divided into four groups: standard care, intermittent fasting (an eight-hour eating window), supervised exercise (strength and high-intensity aerobic training), and a combination of both fasting and exercise.

Findings published in Nature Communications indicate that participants following intermittent fasting lost approximately 2.2 kilograms more on average than the standard care group. The combination of fasting and exercise showed significant results for liver health; 28.6% of participants in this group achieved normal liver fat levels, compared to only 6.5% in the standard care group.

While the interventions showed short-term benefits for weight and liver fat, researchers noted that these advantages tended to diminish once the specific regimens were discontinued, highlighting the challenge of long-term maintenance.