Does intermittent fasting improve gut health? Why it’s hard to say

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How does intermittent fasting change the gut microbiome?

Oliver Leedham/Alamy Stock Photo

There is evidence that intermittent fasting alters the gut microbiome, and while this is often believed to improve gut health, some studies are now raising doubts about whether that is always the case.

The idea behind intermittent fasting is relatively straightforward: instead of focusing on what you eat, you focus on when, cycling between periods of fasting and eating. The most popular approach limits all meals and snacks to the same 8-hour window each day.

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