Effects of intermittent fasting combined with physical exercise on cardiometabolic outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical studies.

This article systematically reviews and meta-analyzes clinical trials comparing the effects of combining intermittent fasting (IF) regimens plus exercise versus control (nonfasting) diets plus exercise on cardiometabolic health outcomes in adults with or without overweight or obesity. The analysis of 14 studies involving 360 adults found that IF combined with exercise significantly reduced body weight, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) more than exercise with a control diet. Although high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and total cholesterol did not change significantly, there were clinically relevant trends toward reductions in triglycerides and diastolic blood pressure. The findings suggest that IF plus exercise may modestly improve cardiometabolic markers primarily through caloric restriction and weight loss, but further research is needed to confirm these effects and to evaluate safety in populations with severe cardiovascular conditions.