The Effect of Intermittent Fasting and Exercise on Some Physiological Parameters

Background: In this study, the effect of recently popular intermittent fasting on weight loss and the role of exercise combined with intermittent fasting on some physiological parameters were investigated. Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of intermittent fasting combined with exercise and intermittent fasting alone on some physiological parameters. Methods: A total of 36 healthy individuals between 20 and 24 years of age, including 18 in the experimental group (exercising) and 18 in the control group (non-exercising), who were assigned by the random selection method, participated in the study. The individuals in the experimental group exercised 36 minutes a day, 5 days a week, along with intermittent fasting for 30 days. On the other hand, the control group did not exercise during this period. Results: When the within-group pre-test and post-test physiological parameter values were compared, a significant difference was found in all values of the experimental group (p<0.05). Similarly, a significant difference was found in the physiological parameter values of the control group (p<0.05) too, with the exception of body mass index and body fluid ratio. A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of the mean differences between the pre-test and post-test physiological parameter values (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Based on the findings, it could be concluded that intermittent fasting is an effective method for losing weight and reducing body fat and that adding low-intensity exercise to this routine ensures more effective weight reduction. Hence, starving for a certain period of time has a favorable effect on the physiological parameters, and the practice of exercising in addition to dieting further improves these values.