IER involves eating in caloric deficit for a few days, followed by eating at caloric maintenance for a few days. Photo: Farhad Ibrahimzade / Unsplash
IER involves eating in caloric deficit for a few days, followed by eating at caloric maintenance for a few days. Photo: Farhad Ibrahimzade / Unsplash
IER involves eating in caloric deficit for a few days, followed by eating at caloric maintenance for a few days. Photo: Farhad Ibrahimzade / Unsplash
IER involves eating in caloric deficit for a few days, followed by eating at caloric maintenance for a few days. Photo: Farhad Ibrahimzade / Unsplash

What is the intermittent energy restriction diet, and is it safe for weight loss?


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Losing weight, getting fit and generally leading a healthier life, is perhaps the most common New Year resolution. Some people work out more, others take on a sport, while some go down the eating healthy route.

While the Mediterranean diet often comes out on top, new research suggests intermittent energy restriction could be just the ticket for some.

How does intermittent energy restriction work?

IER involves alternating periods of eating in caloric deficit interspersed with periods of eating at caloric maintenance.

For example, a person could restrict calories by 30 per cent below maintenance for two weeks, then spend the following two weeks eating regularly.

It holds promise as a viable approach for weight management and overall health improvement
Janani Satchithanantham,
specialist dietitian, Aster Hospital

This is a modification to most diets that promote continuous caloric deficit in order to achieve weight loss goals. One of the USPs of this approach is to avoid an impending diet crash, which is what usually happens to people who drastically alter their eating habits to follow a strict deficit over the long term.

“IER works on the principle that intermittent periods of energy restriction may induce various physiological responses in the body, leading to improved metabolic health,” says Janani Satchithanantham, a specialist dietitian at Aster Hospital in Al Qusais, Dubai.

“During the fasting or reduced calorie periods, the body experiences changes in insulin sensitivity, cellular repair processes and hormone levels, all of which contribute to potential health benefits.”

Good bacteria, bad bacteria

Research published last week in the Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology journal, looked at how the gut microbiome and brain activity changed in a sample group with obesity (with a body mass index between 28 and 45) when put on the IER diet.

By the end of the study, the participants' weight decreased by an average of 7.6kg, or about 7.8 per cent. Researchers also noticed positive activity in brain regions associated with appetite and addiction regulation.

The results also pointed to increases in healthy gut bacteria including faecalibacterium prausnitzii, parabacteroides distasonis, and bacteroides uniformis. These microbes are associated with brain regions that control attention, motor inhibition, emotion and learning.

The study further noted a decrease in E coli, which is associated with dietary behaviour and people's willingness to lose weight.

Is IER safe?

As with other dieting methods, researchers suggest the effect is greater when the diet is followed consistently. “Long-term dietary intervention exerts a sustained impact on gut microbiota, whereas short-term dietary change only causes rapid and temporary changes in gut microbiota,” they write. “Thus, for weight loss maintenance, a highly controlled long-term IER intervention is recommended.”

However, Satchithanantham says people should exercise caution before embarking on any dieting strategy, and that IER “may not be suitable or safe for everyone”.

It is not advised for those with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, for example.

“Individualised approaches that consider personal health goals and potential risks are essential for a balanced and sustainable approach to dietary practices,” she explains.

She agrees, however, that the “current body of evidence suggests it holds promise as a viable approach for weight management and overall health improvement”.

For those who want to try IER, the Dubai specialist warns it is important to choose nutrient-dense foods instead of blindly monitoring caloric intake.

These food choices are crucial when it comes to the method's efficacy, she says, as they ensure the body receives the essential vitamins and minerals for a better health outcome.

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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

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The National selections: 6.30pm: RM Lam Tara, 7.05pm: Al Mukhtar Star, 7.40pm: Bochart, 8.15pm: Magic Lily, 8.50pm: Roulston Scar, 9.25pm: Quip, 10pm: Jalmoud

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  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
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  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
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Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

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Engine: Duel electric motors
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No Shame

Lily Allen

(Parlophone)

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

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The specs

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Transmission: 10-speed automatic

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On sale: Now

Updated: December 26, 2023, 11:12 AM`