The Effect of a Combined Intermittent Fasting Healthy Plate Intervention on Anthropometric Outcomes and Body Composition Among Adults With Overweight and Obesity: Nonrandomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Adult obesity and overweight pose a substantial risk to global public health and are associated with various noncommunicable diseases. Although intermittent fasting (IF) is increasingly used as a relatively new dietary strategy for weight loss, the effectiveness of 2 days per week of dry fasting remains unknown.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a combined dry IF and healthy plate (IFHP) and healthy plate (HP) intervention in improving anthropometric outcomes and body composition.

METHODS: This nonrandomized controlled trial involved 177 adults who were overweight and obese. Among them, 91 (51.4%) were allocated to the IFHP group and 86 (48.6%) were allocated to the HP group. The overall study duration was 6 months (October 2020 to March 2021). The intervention was divided into 2 phases: supervised (3 months) and unsupervised (3 months). The data were collected at baseline, after the supervised phase (month 3), and after the unsupervised phase (month 6). Anthropometric (weight, height, waist circumference, and hip circumference) and body composition (body fat percentage, body fat mass, skeletal muscle mass, and visceral fat area) data were measured at all 3 data collection points. Sociodemographic data were obtained using a questionnaire at baseline.

RESULTS: Most participants were female (147/177, 83.1%) and Malay (141/177, 79.7%). After 3 months, there were significant reductions in weight (difference -1.68; P.05).

CONCLUSIONS: A combined IFHP intervention was effective in improving anthropometric outcomes and body composition in adults with overweight and obesity.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/33801.