Intermittent Fasting and exercise in type 2 diabetes

Overweight and obesity affect more than 50% of the adult population in Austria. This condition significantly increases the risk of diabetes mellitus type 2, diseases of the musculoskeletal system as well as cardiovascular diseases. An important therapeutic goal for overweight/obese people with type 2 diabetes is body weight reduction, however, this turns often out to be challenging. Intermittent fasting, in which no food is consumed for a longer period of time, interrupted by phases in which there are no restrictions on food intake, has already been shown in the past to lead to significant weight loss and improvement in blood glucose metabolism in people with type 2 diabetes already injecting insulin. Furthermore, in this study we did not determine any increased risk of hypoglycaemia as part of this fasting intervention. However, it remains unclear whether intermittent fasting is superior to a lifestyle change focusing on regular exercise sessions in people with type 2 diabetes, or whether the combination of intermittent fasting and regular exercise sessions has the strongest effects on weight loss and improving sugar metabolism. This is exactly the question the INTERFAST-3 study is investigating, which will examine 80 people with known type 2 diabetes. These study participants will be randomly assigned to 4 groups: an intermittent fasting group, an exercise group, an intermittent fasting and exercise group and a control group. After 12 weeks, the effects on body weight, blood sugar profiles and metabolic parameters are examined. In addition, the sustainability of these potential effects should also be tracked over 2 years.