New studies often synergize with science of nutraceuticals and can tangentially strengthen the case for consuming supplements.
For example, a newly published study in BMJ shows that intermittent fasting diets are as beneficial as calorie-restriction diets for weight loss and improving cardiometabolic parameters.
This study dovetails with and supports our herbal ingredient — CitruSlim® a proprietary blend clinically proven to help promote weight loss while supporting healthy cardiometabolic function.
According to the study authors, intermittent fasting is characterized by continual cycles between periods of eating and fasting; it has quickly become a popular alternative to traditional calorie restricting – often unsustainable for the long-term.
There are three types of intermittent fasting: time-restricted eating (eg, the 16:8 diet involving a 16 hour fasting period followed by an 8 hour eating window), alternate-day fasting (a 24-hour fast on alternate days), and whole-day fasting (eg, a 5:2 diet involving five days of unrestricted eating and two days of fasting).
The team analyzed the results of 99 randomized clinical trials involving 6,582 adults to compare the effect of intermittent fasting diets with continuous calorie restriction or unrestricted diets (eating whatever one wants) on body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors.
Participants had an average body mass index (BMI) of 31 and almost 90% had existing health conditions, with the trials ranging an average of 12 weeks.
What They Found
Alternate-day fasting was the only intermittent fasting diet strategy to show a small benefit in body weight reduction compared with continuous calorie restriction (mean difference -2.84 pounds). Also, alternate-day fasting showed a small reduction in body weight compared with both time-restricted eating and whole-day fasting (mean difference -3.73 pounds and -2.31 pounds respectively).
Further, alternate-day fasting was linked to lower levels of total and “bad” cholesterol compared with time restricted eating. However, time-restricted eating resulted in a small increase in cholesterol levels.
The authors concluded, “The current evidence provides some indication that intermittent fasting diets have similar benefits to continuous energy restriction for weight loss and cardiometabolic risk factors.”
An Intermittent Fasting Tool: CitruSlim®
CitruSlim® is an innovative nutraceutical ingredient for healthy weight management. CitruSlim® is a proprietary blend of a clinically proven patented full-spectrum Italian Citrus Bergamot Polyphenolic extract (Bergamonte® and a patented Eurycoma longifolia extract (Adapticort®) that helps reduce cortisol (stress hormone) and ghrelin (hunger hormone), control cravings, while maintaining high energy levels.
No matter what type of dietary pattern one tries, hunger is a dominant factor to control. There are two main hormones responsible for regulating hunger. Ghrelin is a hormone produced in the gut, and its main function is to send a signal to the brain to increase appetite when the stomach is empty. Ghrelin makes you consume more food, take in more calories and store fat.
Leptin is a hormone that is produced by the body’s fat cells. It inhibits hunger and regulates energy balance, so the body does not trigger hunger responses when it doesn’t need energy. People who are overweight have very high levels of leptin causing them to eat more.
In a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study, Bergamonte® (a key ingredient in CitruSlim®) significantly reduced ghrelin by 6.89% and 14.90% and reduced leptin by 12.30% and 21.36% after consuming 650mg or 1300mg of Bergamonte® extract respectively, for 12 weeks.
In a double-blind randomized study published in Nutrients 2019, 52 obese participants with atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) over 0.34 and mild hyperglycemia were given either 650mg of BPE-C, 1300mg BPE-C, or a placebo for 90 days. BPE-C reduced significantly fasting glucose by 18%, triglycerides by 32%, body weight by 14.8% and BMI by 15.9% in the BPE-C high group. This correlated with a significant reduction of circulating hormones balancing caloric intake, including reduction in leptin by 21%, and ghrelin by 15%.
Further, adiponectin — which regulates cardiometabolic factors and which is typically low in overweight individuals — also increased by 21.76%. Adip onectin is a collagen-like protein found in adipose tissue. Adiponectin stimulates fatty acid oxidation through the activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK, known as the body’s master regulator of energy/calorie metabolism); AMPK and plays an important role in glucose and lipid metabolism.
AMPK Activation Supports Weight Loss
No matter the type of intermittent fasting (or calorie restriction) one follows, the goal of slimming down will be more easily achieved when fat burning is accelerated.
CitruSlim® has been shown to activate adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK, known as the body’s master regulator of energy/calorie metabolism), an enzyme required to orchestrate the burning of fat and sugar. As we age, AMPK activity significantly slows. The flavonoids in Bergamonte® (CitruSlim®) extract have been shown in research to activate AMPK. Declining AMPK levels can cause the accumulation of abdominal fat, and cause changes in appetite, weight, and energy levels.
Studies show that increasing AMPK activates the glucose transporter GLUT1 in all cells, increasing glucose availability for energy production, and encouraging cells to stop storing fat and to start burning it for energy.
Why Intermittent Fasting & CitruSlim® are Important
The World Obesity Federation’s 2025 Atlas data suggests that the number of obese adults will escalate by more than 115% between 2010 and 2030. World Health Organization statistics show that approximately 2.5 billion adults or 43% of the global adult population, were overweight.
Life happens – and so does weight gain. Summer is a great time to lose the pounds, as it is much easier to be active.
Reference
Semnani-Azad et al “Intermittent fasting strategies and their effects on body weight and other cardiometabolic risk factors: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials.” BMJ, 2025; 389: e082007 DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2024-082007
