5:2 weight loss plan DOESN’T work in the long term 

Scientists have claimed that the 5:2 diet fails to promote long-term weight loss. 

Created by Dr Michael Mosley, the 5:2 plan has attracted celebrity fans including actor Benedict Cumberbatch, supermodel Miranda Kerr, former Chancellor George Osborne, pop star Beyonce and the former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond.

However according to a new study into the diet – one of the most popular plans in the world – there is a lack of evidence to support any claims that fasting can work in the long term. 

Former Chancellor George Osborne (pictured left in 2013 and right in 2014), is said to have shed significant amounts of weight by cutting his calorie intake to just 500 on two days of the week

Adherents of the diet are thought to include singer Beyoncé (pictured in 2014), who maintains her enviable curves on the plan

Adherents of the diet are thought to include singer Beyoncé (pictured in 2014), who maintains her enviable curves on the plan

The 5:2 diet involves followers reducing their calorie intake to around 500 a day (600 for men) for two non-consecutive days per week and eating whatever they like for the rest.

It has been followed by Hollywood stars and politicians as well as millions of Britons.

This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield said the diet became a ‘way of life’ for him before later revealing he experienced hallucinations and said his stomach shrunk, leaving him with no appetite. 

American comedian Jimmy Kimmel is famously a big fan of the diet, which he credits with helping him lose 30lb and keeping it off.

But two studies conducted at the University of Glasgow found intermittent fasting – as promoted by plans including the 5:2 – offered no advantage over other diets.

Dr Catherine Hankey, a nutrition researcher from the university, told The Sunday Times: ‘Intermittent dieting is being touted as the answer to diet problems … but there is no evidence to show it helps achieve weight loss lasting years or even months.’

This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield revealed he experienced hallucinations on the 5:2

Phillip Schofield

This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield revealed he experienced hallucinations on the 5:2 and said his stomach shrunk, leaving him with no appetite

A study carried out in Manchester which involved more than 100 women, found that those on the 5:2 lost nearly twice as much fat as those allocated a standard diet. 

But Dr Mosley has admitted no studies have yet been published proving that intermittent dieting leads to long-term weight loss.

But Dr Mosley added: ‘These studies take a long time which is why, this many years on, they [scientists] are still looking at them.’ 

The original Fast Diet enjoyed a runaway success, becoming one of the best selling diet books of all time. 

It offered followers a radical, yet simple plan – eating normally for five days a week and then, for the other two days – the Fast Days – consuming a quarter of their normal calorie intake. 

The former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond is also thought to have lost some two stone on the plan

The former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond is also thought to have lost some two stone on the plan

Created by Dr Michael Mosley, the 5:2 plan has attracted celebrity fans including actor Benedict Cumberbatch, supermodel Miranda Kerr, former Chancellor George Osborne, pop star Beyonce and the former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond

Pop star Beyonce

The 5:2 plan has attracted celebrity fans including actor Benedict Cumberbatch and pop star Beyonce

Dr Michael Mosley established the 5:2 diet some five years ago, when he discovered he had developed Type 2 Diabetes

Dr Michael Mosley established the 5:2 diet some five years ago, when he discovered he had developed Type 2 Diabetes

Dr Mosley established the 5:2 diet some five years ago, when he discovered he had developed Type 2 Diabetes. 

He looked for alternative ways to improve his blood-sugar levels, which led him to intermittent fasting.

The doctor then made the documentary Eat, Fast and Live Longer, before penning the international bestselling book The Fast Diet, with journalist Mimi Spencer in 2012. 

Speaking earlier this year, he said: ‘On the 5:2 I lost 9 kilos and reversed my diabetes. The TV presenter Phillip Schofield told me that it has become a way of life for him. 

‘I’ve read in the press that it has been embraced by celebrities such as Beyoncé, Benedict Cumberbatch (‘you have to, for Sherlock’), Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck and Christie Turlington. 

‘I have also had messages of thanks from thousands of people, ranging from, ‘I lost 40lb and a year later the weight is still gone’ to ‘I can now take my jeans off without undoing them and I am happy to do so if anyone wants to watch!’’

He said when he wrote The Fast Diet back in 2012 there was ‘already compelling evidence of the health benefits of intermittent fasting’. 

Dr Mosley told The Sunday Times today: ‘All I can tell you is that the studies are under way.’  



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk