Survey Results on the Popularity of Intermittent Fasting

Intermitent Fasting (IF) is a dietary regimen to help manage weight. It usually requires one to fast for up to 16 hours, and eat within an 8-hour period. Science has proved profound intermittent fasting health benefits for some, and opposite effect on others.

Accordingly, Real Research — the online survey app launched a survey to seek respondents’ insights on intermittent fasting. The survey asks respondents whether they have heard of or tried intermittent fasting, possible pros and cons, and more. Here are the results.

Highlights

• 80.17% have heard about Intermittent Fasting.
• 42.99% say their fasting schedule involves fasting for 16-23 hours.
• 41.81% say it took ‘less than a week’ to feel significantly less hungry when starting intermittent fasting.

Intermittent Fasting Leads Over Other Dietary Regimens

To begin, the survey asked respondents how many have heard of Intermittent Fasting. On this, 80.17% said they have while 19.83% said they have not. To follow up, the survey asked respondents whether intermittent fasting has any advantages over other dietary regimens. In reply, 36.01% say ‘definitely yes’, 18.11% say ‘yes’, 4.30% say ‘not at all’, and 3.95% say ‘probably not’.

Accordingly, the survey asks about the pros of intermittent fasting. To which, the majority (38.42%) say intermittent fasting ‘helps reduce weight,’ while 10.06% say it ‘normalizes blood pressure’.

Furthermore, 6.73% say it ‘enhances overall wellness and strengthens immunity’. Likewise, 6.63% say ‘improves blood sugar levels’ while 6% say it ‘reduces appetite’. Finally, 3.52% say that intermittent fasting does not have any pros.

Next, the survey asks about the cons of intermittent fasting. To this, 31.90% say it ‘does not help reduce weight’ while 13.72% say ‘prolonged fasting can be stressful for the body, and trigger headaches’. Moreover, 8.38% suggest ‘heartburn, belching, stomach discomfort, etc may occur’.

Lastly, 6.05% say ‘more research is required to see if suitable for all people’ while 5.26% say it can cause ‘muscle loss’. Finally, 3.25% suggest ‘bile stagnation and development of gallstone disease.’

75.05% Have Tried Intermittent Fasting Before

Next, the survey asked respondents whether they have tried intermittent fasting. In response, 75.05% say ‘yes’, while 24.95% have not tried it before.

Following this, the survey asked which intermittent fasting schedule respondents follow. In reply, 42.99% say ‘16-23 hours’, while 11.88% say ‘fasting every other day’, and 11.22% say ‘OMAD: One meal per day.’ Moreover, 5.73% say ‘24 hours, once or twice a week’.

Furthermore, the survey asks respondents how they felt after intermittent fasting, to compare before and after experiences. To this, the majority (47.31%) say they feel ‘less hungry’ than before they started intermittent fasting. Meanwhile, 14.35% say they feel ‘hungrier’ than before, and 9.95% feel ‘no more or less hungry than before’.

Almost 50% Feel Less Hungry After Trying Intermittent Fasting

Next, the survey asked how long respondents took to feel significantly less hungry than when they started intermittent fasting. For the majority (41.81%), it took ‘less than a week’ to feel less hungry, while for 18.02% it took ‘1-4 weeks’ and 7.34% ‘1-2 months’. Lastly, 5.71% said it ‘hasn’t happened yet’ and 5.10% said it took over 3 months.

To conclude, the survey asked respondents whether they would recommend intermittent fasting to others. The majority (35.36%) say they most definitely will, whereas 17.44% say ‘definitely’. Likewise, 12.85% said ‘maybe’ while 7.76% said ‘not at all.’