A diet involving fasting on three nonconsecutive days per week yielded a 6.37 lb greater weight loss after a year than a daily caloric deficit. Three days of intermittent fasting (IMF) each week was a bit better for weight loss than daily caloric restriction (DCR), the DRIFT randomized trial found.

Intermittent fasting has gained a following, in part because of tantalizing hints that it can boost cognition, fend off cancer and even slow aging