The 5:2 Diet Reduces Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Subjects with and Without Type 2 Diabetes—A Non-Randomized Controlled Trial

This is a secondary analysis of a non-randomized controlled six-month trial concerning the effects of the 5:2 diet on cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, blood lipids, adipokines and inflammatory markers) in overweight or obese individuals with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D). Ninety-seven individuals were recruited, 35 withs T2D and 62 without (controls). Ninety-three completed six months of the 5:2 diet, consisting of 2 days of fasting (500 kilocalories (kcal) for women and 600 kcal for men) and five days of their regular diet. A total of 82 participants (31 with T2D and 51 controls) attended the 12-month follow-up. After the six-month intervention, both groups lost body weight (−6.3% in the T2D group and −5.0% among controls). There were significant improvements in waist circumference, blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLchol), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLchol) and serum levels of adiponectin. In addition, participants with T2D had decreased alanine transferase (ALT) and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), which were significantly different from the control group. The control group had significant decreases in triglycerides and leptin concentrations. At the 12-month follow-up, improvements remained for HDLchol and adiponectin in both groups. In addition, the T2D group had significantly decreased hsCRP and leptin concentrations and the control group showed a significant decrease in ALT. In conclusion, a six-month 5:2 diet resulted in significant improvements in cardiovascular risk factors in overweight or obese participants with and without T2D, with several improvements persisting at 12 months. Individuals with T2D appeared to gain somewhat greater metabolic benefits from the intervention than the control group.