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What science says

What does science say about Fasting and fasting-mimicking diet and Obesity?

  • We don’t say yes or no. We show what has been studied.
  • Working in a lab or in animals does not mean it works in people.
  • Don’t stop or change your treatment without talking to your doctor.

What has been studied

  1. Lab studies (cells)Tests on cells in a dish.Source: PubMed · as of 6 Nov 2026 · Open the search at PubMed16studies
  2. Animal studiesTests in mice, rats or other animals.Source: PubMed · as of 6 Nov 2026 · Open the search at PubMed633studies
  3. Studies in peoplePublished studies with human participants.Source: PubMed · as of 6 Nov 2026 · Open the search at PubMed2183studies
  4. Registered trials in peopleTrials entered in a public registry, whatever their result.ClinicalTrials.gov: 43 · as of 6 Nov 2026 · Open the search at ClinicalTrials.govEU CTIS: 0 · as of 6 Nov 2026 · Open the search at EU CTISBy phase:No phase (42)Phase 4 (1)By status:Completed (16)Recruiting (15)Running, not recruiting (6)Not yet recruiting (5)By invitation only (1)Countries (17):United States (13)Egypt (4)China (3)Switzerland (2)Colombia (2)Germany (2)Spain (2)Italy (2)Jordan (2)Netherlands (2)Brazil (1)Chile (1)Czechia (1)Denmark (1)France (1)Indonesia (1)Mexico (1)With a linked publication (results): 7 of 43The registries do not tell us here whether results were posted; a linked publication is shown instead.43trials
  5. Approved treatmentApproved by a medicines regulator for this disease.No

Source: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, EU CTIS · as of 6 Nov 2026

Examples of what we found

The trials

  24. No phase

    Daily Caloric Restriction in ADPKD

    Running, not recruiting · United States

    ClinicalTrials.gov · NCT04907799

  25. No phase

    Promotion of Weight Management

    Running, not recruiting · United States

    ClinicalTrials.gov · NCT04131647

Thinking of paying for it? Read this first

  • Ask for published results. Stories, thank-you letters and "patients report" are not results. Ask where the results were published.
  • Know what you pay for. Ask in writing: what exactly is included, who gets the money, and what happens if you stop.
  • Ask your own doctor first. Some products interfere with chemotherapy, radiation or other medicines. Your treating doctor can check this.
  • Do not stop standard treatment for it. Do not stop or delay your treatment without talking to your care team.

Before you pay for a treatment

Other treatments people ask about

Not medical advice. Talk to the care team before changing treatment.

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