Intermittent fasting helped people keep weight off for a year

Date: July 18, 2026 Source: University of Granada Summary: A 12-week intermittent fasting program produced weight-loss benefits that were still visible a year later. Participants who ate within an eight-hour window maintained more weight loss than those who followed their usual longer eating schedule. Both early and late eating windows worked, while early fasting appeared especially helpful for preserving fat loss. Share: Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email FULL STORY An eight-hour daily eating window may help weight loss last for a year, even after the fasting program ends. Credit: Shutterstock A 12 week intermittent fasting program may help people maintain weight loss for at least a year after the structured intervention ends, according to research involving the University of Granada (UGR). Published in Clinical Nutrition, the study followed 99 adults who were overweight or obese. Half of the participants were women. Researchers found that limiting daily food intake to an eight hour period helped participants preserve more of their weight loss than maintaining an eating window of 12 hours or longer. Intermittent Fasting Benefits Persisted for a Year The researchers examined the popular 16:8 approach to intermittent fasting. Under this method, people fast for 16 hours each day and eat during the remaining eight hours. The lasting benefits did not depend on whether participants ate earlier or later in the day. An early schedule allowed eating between 9 a. m. and 5 p. m., while a later schedule used a window between 1 p. m. and 9 p. m. One year after the intervention ended, both the early and late fasting groups had maintained significantly more weight loss than participants who continued eating across 12 hours or more each day. Those assigned to the early schedule also preserved a larger reduction in fat mass. The findings suggest that time restricted eating may be practical in the short term while also producing effects that continue well beyond the initial program. Tracking Weight and Body Composition The study appeared in Clinical Nutrition, the official journal of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Scientists from the University of Granada (UGR), the Granada Institute for Biomedical Research (ibs. GRANADA), the Public University of Navarra, and the Biomedical Research Networking Center (CIBER) participated in the research. During the first 12 weeks, all 99 participants received education about following a Mediterranean diet. They were then placed into four groups. The control group continued using its usual daily eating window of 12 hours or longer. The early fasting group followed an eight hour window beginning before a. m.