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Fasting Diet Just As Effective As Restricted Calorie Diet, Study Says

By U.S. News & World Report

An alternate-day fasting diet didn’t do better at curbing weight loss than a more traditional calorie-restricting one — but that doesn’t mean you should throw it away like that extra helping of chocolate cake.

According to a new small study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, people who followed an alternate-day fasting diet didn’t have significantly divergent weight loss results than those under a daily calorie restriction.

Researchers looked at 100 obese adults — 86 women and 14 men — from October 2011 to January 2015 as part of the trial. For one year, patients were put into separate groups. An alternate-day fasting group would eat 25 percent of their calorie needs on so-called “fast days,” followed by 125 percent on a “feast” day. Another group only ate 75 percent of their calorie needs per day, while the final group didn’t receive any diet intervention.

The study found an average weight loss of 6 percent in the alternate-day fasting group compared to 5.3 percent in the daily calorie-restriction group. The results didn’t match the study’s hypothesis, which sought to determine how effective the diet would be.

Diet adherence turned out to be better in the calorie-restriction group, even though the alternate-day group got to eat whatever they wanted every other day.

Study author Krista A. Varady stressed to U.S. News that this doesn’t rule out the diet as a viable option. Even on the feast days, the participants ate less than they would typically eat. Varady thinks this is why they lost the same amount of weight.

“It’s not really a negative result,” Varady, of the of the University of Illinois at Chicago, said. “This diet just doesn’t happen to do better than a traditional approach, but it still is an effective diet for weight loss.”

Not everyone completed the study, with the largest dropout rate coming from the alternate-day fasting group at 13 out of 34 people, compared to 10 out of 35 in the daily calorie-restriction group and 8 out of 31 in the control group.

“Taken together, these findings suggest that alternate-day fasting may be less sustainable in the long term, compared with daily calorie restriction, for most obese individuals,” according to the study. “Nevertheless, it is still possible that a certain smaller segment of obese individuals may prefer this pattern of energy restriction instead of daily restriction. It will be of interest to examine what behavioral traits (ability to go for long periods without eating) make alternate-day fasting more tolerable for some individuals than others.”

Could this diet be for you? If you can go for five to six hours without eating, Varady says you have a better shot compared to those who need to eat every two to three hours. She added that no diet will suit every person.

Study limitations included that the maintenance phase was only a short six months, researchers didn’t give as much attention to the control group as the others and the alternate-day group’s dropout rate might have posed selection bias, among others.

Varady says that in some pilot findings coming out, the alternate-day fasting diet seems to work better in terms of reducing insulin resistance and triglycerides and increasing HDL cholesterol (aka the “good” kind). The JAMA study focused on otherwise healthy obese people.

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Fasting Diet Just As Effective As Restricted Calorie Diet, Study Says originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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