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Clinical Trial Finds Intermittent Fasting Benefits for Crohn’s Disease

Intermittent fasting is a diet pattern alternating between a 16 hour fast and an 8 hour period of eating. The idea is that it can help improve health and weight management. But besides these goals, intermittent fasting can help in other ways.

What Are the Benefits of Intermittent Fasting?

In the general population, intermittent fasting has been shown to:

  • Have anti-inflammatory effects
  • Reduce insulin resistance
  • Reduce circulating cytokines
  • Reduce visceral fat

Intermittent Fasting Shows Benefits in Crohn’s Disease

For people with Crohn’s disease, a new study shows that intermittent fasting can reduce their symptoms of disease. This study randomized participants into two groups: one that did intermittent fasting for 12 weeks and one that did not. The intermittent fasting group fasted for 16 consecutive hours per day for six days of the week. The researchers collected stool samples and blood samples as well as weight and height measurements at the beginning and the end of the study.

They found that intermittent fasting reduced Crohn’s disease activity by 40% and abdominal discomfort by 50% at the end of the study. Those that fasted had reduced levels of blood markers of inflammation and a more diverse microbiota. This microbiome was also enriched in bacteria known to produce short chain fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory and metabolic benefits.

This study involved only 35 participants, and a larger trial in the future would help confirm their findings.

“Time-restricted feeding is showing real promise as a new way to help people with Crohn’s disease manage not only their symptoms but also their overall health,” said Andres Lorenzo Hurtado, Senior Vice President at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, which provided funding for the study. “We are excited to support studies like this that put patients at the center of new solutions and encourage more research to make these benefits last for everyone living with IBD.”

Citation

Haskey, N., Ye, J., Lewis, A., et al. Time-Restricted Feeding Reduces Body Mass Index, Visceral Adiposity, Systemic Inflammation, and Clinical Disease Activity in Adults With Crohn’s Disease: A Randomized Controlled Study. Gastroenterology (2026). https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2025.11.008