The Effect of Intermittent Fasting Combined with Ad Libitum Days on Adults’ Elevated Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review of Human Studies

Dharina  Baharuddin; Mas Ayu  Said; Hazreen Abdul  Majid

doi:10.18502/ijph.v54i2.17899

Dharina Baharuddin Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Mas Ayu Said Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Hazreen Abdul Majid Centre of Population and Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v54i2.17899

Keywords: Intermittent fasting; Blood pressure; Weight loss; Body mass index; Waist circumference; Adult

Abstract

Background: Diets utilizing intermittent fasting as an alternative method to promote weight loss have grown in popularity. However, the efficacy of intermittent among elevated blood pressure remains unclear. This review systematically analyses studies investigating the effects of intermittent variations among elevated blood pressure on changes in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Changes in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and energy intake were assessed as a secondary objective.

Methods: The American Search Elite, CINAHL, Cochrane, MEDLINE, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, and grey literature databases were searched for articles investigating intermittent fasting with ad libitum among adults with elevated blood pressure from Jan 2010 to Jun 2022.

Results: Twelve studies met the eligibility criteria. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure generally decreased, between -2.0 to -0.04 mmHg and -3 to -0.01 mmHg, respectively. The body weight and body mass index reduced significantly (-2.85 to -0.09 kg and -1.05 to -0.03 kg/m², respectively). The review found a waist circumference reduction of -0.67 to -0.21 cm and an energy intake reduction of -263.89 to -2.58 kcal.

Conclusion: Intermittent fasting reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure in 2-24 wk while decreasing body weight, body mass index, and energy intake. However, needs 48 wk to reduce waist circumference. This implies that it is critical to perform intermittent fasting on elevated blood pressure before the development of high blood pressure as part of a program to prevent hypertension in adults.