Trends and science collide: Potential benefits of combining intermittent fasting and protein pacing for weight management

According to a 2025 survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) focusing on dietary guidance and food labeling, 57% of American consumers have tried a specific diet in the past year, up from 54% in 2024.¹ Of these consumers, the highest number (23%) said they followed a high-protein diet, up from 20% in 2024. Additionally, 15% of consumers said they were intermittent fasting. In 2023, 12% of consumers were intermittent fasting, according to a survey from IFIC.² Intermittent fasting is the process of cycling between caloric restriction and normal food consumption, typically only eating during an eight-hour time frame, then fasting for the remaining 16 hours. In a previous Last Bite, Nutritional Outlook highlighted the opportunity for manufacturing and marketing food and beverage products to consumers who were intermittent fasting.² That opportunity remains, but let’s examine the potential relationship between intermittent fasting and protein consumption.

A study published in 2022 in the journal Obesity examined the effects of intermittent fasting with protein pacing compared to a heart-healthy caloric restriction diet on body weight, total and visceral fat mass, and cardiometabolic health outcomes in adults with obesity. Protein pacing is the process of eating four or five (sometimes six), evenly spaced, nutrient-dense meals per day that provide 20-40 grams of protein per meal.³ In the study, 41 participants were split into two groups: one that combined intermittent fasting and protein pacing (IF-P), and the other assigned to a caloric restriction diet (CR) for eight weeks.

Compared to CR, results showed that the combination of intermittent fasting and protein pacing saw significantly greater reductions in body weight, total body fat, abdominal fat, and visceral fat mass. Additionally, while both groups saw a decrease in absolute free fat mass, the proportion of free fat mass to body weight was significantly higher in the intermittent fasting group. Both groups also saw significant improvements in cardiovascular health outcomes, though the intermittent fasting group did have significant decreases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared to CR.

As more people adopt intermittent fasting and high-protein diets, the two are bound to intersect, and this study demonstrates how they may complement one another. While the developers of protein pacing argue that it is not a high-protein diet,⁴ the fact remains that there is a wealth of high-protein food and beverage options on the market, which lends itself well to customers being able to conveniently consume the right amount of protein across multiple meals. Protein pacing is, therefore, more accessible because whole foods can be bolstered with supplements and functional foods or beverages. Not to mention, trends are showing that consumers are partial to snacking or otherwise consuming multiple smaller meals throughout the day than the typical breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

References

1. IFIC Food & Health Survey: A Focus on Dietary Guidance & Food Labeling. August 5, 2025. https://ific.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IFIC-FH-Survey-Dietary-Guidance-Food-Labeling-2.pdf (Accessed 2025-08-19).
2. Krawiec, S. How to Capture Consumers Who are Keto or Intermittent Fasting. Nutritional Outlook. August 30, 2023. https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/how-to-capture-consumers-who-are-keto-or-intermittent-fasting (Accessed 2025-08-19).
3. Arciero, P.J.; Poe, M.; Mohr, A.E.; Ives, S.J.; Arciero, A.; Sweaza, K.L.; Gumpricht, E.; Arciero, K.M. Intermittent Fasting and Protein Pacing are Superior to Caloric Restriction for Weight and Visceral Fat Loss. Obesity.2022, 31 (Suppl 1), 139-149. DOI:10.1002/oby.23660
4. Arciero, P.J.; Arciero, K.M.; Poe, M.; Mohr, A.E.; Ives, S.J.; Arciero, A.; Boyce, M.; Zhang, J.; et al. Intermittent Fasting Two Days Versus One Day Per Week, Matched for Total Energy Intake and Expenditure, Increases Weight Loss in Overweight/Obese Men and Women. Nutri J. 2022, 21, 36. DOI: 10.1186/s12937-022-00790-0
5. What is Protein Pacing? Prise Life. https://priselife.com/what-is-protein-pacing/