(BUSINESS INSIDER) Rosie Fitzmaurice, March 19, 2018 — Intermittent fasting was one of the most talked about diet trends in 2017 — and now new research from the University of Surrey suggests that following such a diet could have real health benefits.

In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers assigned 27 overweight participants to either the 5:2 diet or a daily calorie restriction diet, and told to them to lose 5% of their weight.

The study aimed to look at the impact of the 5:2 on the body’s ability to metabolise fat and glucose following a meal and compared it to the effects of weight loss achieved by a daily calorie restriction diet.

The participants on the 5:2 followed the regime of eating normally for five days and restricting their calories to 600 calories on their two so-called “fasting days.”

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/study-suggests-fasting-could-have-health-benefits-2018-3