Evidence Hub

Effect of Intermittent Fasting on Glycaemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Suresh K. Sharma, S. Mudgal, S. Kalra, Rakhi Gaur, Kalpana Thakur, R. Agarwal

touchREVIEWS in Endocrinology, 2023

23 citations

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a severe public health issue notably impacting human life and health expenditure. It has been observed in literature that intermittent fasting (IF) addresses diabetes and its underlying cause, which benefits people with diabetes. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of IF treatment on glycaemic control in people with T2DM compared with control group. Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies among patients with T2DM with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) as an outcome was performed. A comprehensive search of electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar, for articles published before 24 April 2022, was done. Studies reporting 24 hours of complete fasting or intermittent restricted energy intake (feeding permitted for only 4–8 hours daily, with 16–20 hours of fasting) and reporting changes in HbA1c and fasting glucose levels were eligible. Meta-analysis was performed using Cochrane’s Q statistic and the I2 statistical approach. Results: Eleven studies (13 arms) measuring the effect of IF on patients’ HbA1c level were analysed. There was no statistically significant difference between IF and control groups (Standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.20 to 0.04;p=0.19, I2=22%). Overall, seven studies on patients’ fasting blood glucose were analysed, and the meta-analysis revealed no significant difference between the two groups i.e. IF…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free