# Fasting Evidence > Intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating and meal timing, judged on the trial data. Fasting Evidence separates what randomised trials support from what fasting culture asserts: does the eating window matter independently of calories, what happens to lean mass, and who should not fast at all. ## About this source - **Publisher:** Stéphane Sprauer - **Editorial stance:** Independent. We describe what the evidence shows, including when it is weak or contested. - **Evidence base:** 71 peer-reviewed citations, each linked to its PubMed record or DOI. - **Languages:** 42 European languages. Add a language prefix to any URL, e.g. `https://fastingevidence.org/de/`. - **Licence:** Content may be quoted with attribution to Fasting Evidence (https://fastingevidence.org). - **Not medical advice:** Educational content only. ## How to cite this site > Fasting Evidence. "". https://fastingevidence.org. Accessed . ## Home - [Fasting Evidence](https://fastingevidence.org/): Does the eating window matter, or only the calories? Cited summaries of the fasting trials, including the ones that found nothing. ## Evidence - [Does intermittent fasting actually work?](https://fastingevidence.org/does-fasting-work/): Head-to-head trials of intermittent fasting against continuous calorie restriction, plus the Cochrane and BMJ umbrella reviews. - [Does when you eat matter?](https://fastingevidence.org/meal-timing/): Chrononutrition evidence: late eating, circadian misalignment, energy expenditure and the trials that isolated timing from intake. - [The autophagy claims, examined](https://fastingevidence.org/autophagy/): What fasting-induced autophagy actually is, what has been measured in humans, and why the popular numbers have no trial behind them. - [Fasting and your blood sugar, insulin and lipids](https://fastingevidence.org/metabolic-effects/): What intermittent fasting does to glycaemic control, insulin sensitivity and lipids — including the Cochrane review. - [Training fasted: what the evidence says](https://fastingevidence.org/fasting-and-exercise/): Fasted versus fed training compared in meta-analysis — performance, adaptation and body composition outcomes. ## Protocols - [Time-restricted eating and 16:8](https://fastingevidence.org/time-restricted-eating/): The 16:8 eating window tested in controlled trials — including the NEJM trial that matched calories and found no additional benefit. - [5:2 and alternate-day fasting](https://fastingevidence.org/alternate-day-and-5-2/): Alternate-day fasting and the 5:2 diet compared with time-restricted eating and with continuous calorie restriction. - [The protocols compared](https://fastingevidence.org/protocols/): Time-restricted eating, 5:2, alternate-day and extended fasting compared on effect size, evidence quality and sustainability. - [Fasting protocols](https://fastingevidence.org/protocol/): What the evidence shows for 6 fasting protocols, from 16:8 to prolonged fasting. - [16:8 time-restricted eating: what the evidence shows](https://fastingevidence.org/protocol/16-8/): Eat within 8 hours, fast 16. Evidence: established. - [Early time-restricted eating: what the evidence shows](https://fastingevidence.org/protocol/early-time-restricted-eating/): Window shifted early, e.g. 8am-4pm. Evidence: promising. - [The 5:2 diet: what the evidence shows](https://fastingevidence.org/protocol/5-2/): Two heavily restricted days per week. Evidence: established. - [Alternate-day fasting: what the evidence shows](https://fastingevidence.org/protocol/alternate-day-fasting/): Alternating fed and fasted or very-low-calorie days. Evidence: established. - [One meal a day (OMAD): what the evidence shows](https://fastingevidence.org/protocol/omad/): A single daily eating occasion. Evidence: limited. - [Prolonged fasting (48 hours and beyond): what the evidence shows](https://fastingevidence.org/protocol/prolonged-fasting/): Multi-day, water or minimal intake. Evidence: limited. ## Safety - [Who should not fast](https://fastingevidence.org/safety/): Contraindications and cautions for intermittent fasting: medication interactions, pregnancy, eating disorder history and diabetes. ## About - [About Fasting Evidence](https://fastingevidence.org/about/): Who publishes Fasting Evidence, how pages are researched, and how the site makes money. - [Editorial policy](https://fastingevidence.org/editorial-policy/): How Fasting Evidence selects evidence, scores products and handles conflicts of interest. - [Affiliate and partnership disclosure](https://fastingevidence.org/disclosure/): Every commercial relationship that could affect what you read on Fasting Evidence. - [Privacy](https://fastingevidence.org/privacy/): What Fasting Evidence collects — which is close to nothing. ## Research - [New research](https://fastingevidence.org/research/): Newly indexed peer-reviewed research relevant to Fasting Evidence, updated weekly from PubMed and Crossref. - [Research digest, 8 August 2026](https://fastingevidence.org/research/2026-08-08/): No newly indexed research matched this site's topics in the week of 8 August 2026. ## Related sites in this network - [GLP-1 Evidence](https://glp1facts.org): What the trials actually show about semaglutide, tirzepatide and the rest of the GLP-1 class. - [Metabolism Review](https://metabolismreview.org): Energy expenditure, insulin resistance and metabolic adaptation, without the folklore. - [Weight Loss Evidence](https://weightlossevidence.org): Diets, drugs, behaviour and maintenance — ranked by the strength of the evidence behind them. - [Celiac Wire](https://celiacwire.org): Coeliac disease news, guidelines and research — plus the practical business of eating. - [Sleep Evidence](https://sleepevidence.org): Sleep, circadian rhythm and the wearables that claim to measure both. - [App Evidence Index](https://appevidenceindex.com): Health and lifestyle apps reviewed on evidence, privacy and dark patterns — not on vibes. - [Fit App Science](https://fitappscience.com): Fitness and training apps tested against the behaviour-change literature. - [EV Ground Truth](https://evgroundtruth.com): Electric cars reviewed on real range, charging behaviour and life-cycle emissions. - [Running Gear Science](https://runninggearscience.com): Running shoes and kit reviewed against biomechanics and running-economy research. - [The Book Verdict](https://checkthecitations.com): Health, science and self-improvement books fact-checked against the literature they cite. - [Sound Verdict](https://therecordverdict.com): Music reviews with production notes — and the science of why records feel the way they do. - [Synth Science](https://producerscience.com): Electronic music production technique, grounded in psychoacoustics and signal theory. - [DJ Gear Lab](https://djgearscience.com): Controllers, mixers and monitoring reviewed — including the hearing-damage maths nobody prints. - [Gut Brain Evidence](https://gutbrainevidence.org): The gut-brain axis, the microbiome and dietary fibre — separated from the probiotic marketing. - [IBD Evidence](https://ibdevidence.org): Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis — guidelines, biologics, diet and the trigger-food question. - [Skin Nutrition Evidence](https://skinnutritionevidence.org): What diet does and does not do to your skin — acne, ageing, collagen and photoprotection. - [Food Label Evidence](https://foodlabelevidence.org): Nutri-Score, front-of-pack labelling and whether any of it changes what people buy. - [Travel Health Evidence](https://travelhealthevidence.org): Jet lag, travellers' diarrhoea, food safety and eating with an allergy abroad. - [Meditation Evidence](https://meditationevidence.org): Mindfulness, breathwork and meditation apps — effect sizes, and the adverse effects nobody mentions. - [Supplement Evidence](https://supplementevidence.org): Vitamin D, melatonin, magnesium and omega-3 — what the large trials found, and what is in the bottle. - [Screen Time Evidence](https://screentimeevidence.org): Screen time and wellbeing, digital detox trials, notifications and sleep. - [Carbon Evidence](https://carbonevidence.org): Personal carbon footprints, life-cycle assessment, and which changes actually move the number. - [Habit Evidence](https://habitevidence.org): Behaviour change, craving and relapse prevention — what actually has trial support. - [The EV Route](https://theevroute.com): Planning an electric road trip around real range, real charge curves and where the chargers actually are. - [Charging Compared](https://chargingcompared.com): European charging networks compared on price, reliability and whether your card will work. - [Motorway Food](https://motorwayfood.com): Where to actually eat on a long drive — including with coeliac disease, an allergy or a restricted diet. - [Family Road Travel](https://familyroadtravel.com): Long drives with children — stop cadence, facilities, accessibility and what the evidence says about breaks. - [EV Across Europe](https://evacrosseurope.com): Country-by-country electric vehicle ownership: charging costs, incentives, infrastructure and cross-border roaming. - [Evidence Network](https://evidencenetwork.eu): A network of cited, multilingual reference sites on health, technology and sound.