Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training and Intermittent Fasting on Body Composition and Physical Performance in Active Women

Abstract

Nutritional strategies may have an effect on body composition and physical performance. Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating and fasting in specified time periods. Moreover, it is a common strategy among members of the athlete population that are looking for weight loss. However, this strategy may negatively affect physical performance, as compared to other weight loss strategies. The main purpose of this research was to use a cross-over design to study the effects of HIIT, with or without intermittent fasting, on muscular and anaerobic performance in 14 active women (27 ± 6 y). To assess performance, body composition (anthropometry), hand-grip strength, and counter-movement jump (CMJ) height was measured, and a 30 s Wingate test was completed assessed. HIIT + IF reduced fat mass (1 kg, p < 0.05, d = 1.1; 1.5%, p < 0.01, d = 1.0) and increased CMJ height (6.2 cm, p < 0.001, d = 1.8). In addition, the change in CMJ height in HIIT + IF was higher over HIIT (5.2 cm, p < 0.001, d = 1.9). In conclusion, intermittent fasting could be a nutritional strategy to decrease fat mass and increase jumping performance. However, longer duration programs would be necessary to determine whether other parameters of muscle performance could be positively affected by IF.

Effects of Intermittent Fasting in Human Compared to a Non-intervention Diet and Caloric Restriction: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…In our study, IF was found to have significant benefits in improving outcome indices for weight, FM, insulin, and blood lipids compared to a non-intervention diet. These results were similar to previous studies ( 6 , 56 , 60 ), indicating that IF can result in desirable weight loss and better health. However, there was no difference in fasting blood glucose in participants between the IF group and the non-intervention diet group in this study.…”

“…After thoroughly viewing the full text of the remaining 158 articles, 115 of them were excluded, of which 85 were excluded due to lack of relevant results, 4 exclusions were due to non-RCTs, 2 were excluded due to population duplication, and 24 were excluded due to unavailable data. Finally, 43 RCTs ( 3 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 16 – 54 ) were included in our meta-analysis. The detailed retrieval process and elimination reasons are recorded in the flowchart ( Figure 1 ).…”

“…Intermittent fasting (IF) has become a popular lifestyle in recent years, though it has existed in religious and cultural contexts for a long time ( 4 , 5 ). IF is a term that covers several specific patterns ( 6 , 7 ). Alternate-day fasting (ADF), intermittent energy restriction (IER), time-restricted feeding (TRF), and Ramadan fasting are currently recognized as the several subtypes of IF ( 7 , 8 ).…”

“…Intermittent fasting is a specific strategy to reduce energy intake via fasting and, therefore, reduce weekly energy intake. It has been an attemption in patients with overweight or obese to achieve weight loss ( 6 ). Caloric restriction (CR), which is considered the standard dietary strategy to lose or maintain weight, has been discovered to be difficult in maintaining among many individuals, and the likelihood of late weight rebound when it comes to long-term use.…”

Effects of Intermittent Energy Restriction Alone and in Combination with Sprint Interval Training on Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Biomarkers in Individuals with Overweight and Obesity

“…However, given the majority of 'intermittent fasting' interventions included in the analysis were continuous calorie restriction and not fasting for prolonged periods, it is difficult to apply their findings to the present study results. A recent study did compare the effects of 8 weeks of HITT with or without daily intermittent fasting in the form of time restricted feeding on body composition and performance [44]. Predicted estimates of muscle mass was similar between interventions and unchanged over the 10 weeks.…”