There’s plenty of evidence to back up the health benefits of traditional fasting methods like ADF and time-restricted feeding (TRF), which usually involves completely abstaining from calorie intake for 12 to 21 hours per day2.
These IF methods have been shown to boost fat loss3, improve blood lipid levels4, and reduce blood pressure5.
Modified types of fasting like modified ADF have also been linked to some benefits, like weight loss6 and improvements in fatty liver disease6.
However, because dirty fasting has no set definition and people following this method may take in varying numbers of calories, it’s unclear if dirty fasting offers the same benefits as other types of fasting with set rules.
That said, if you’re significantly cutting calories using any method, whether it be continuous energy restriction or IF, it’s likely to result in weight loss. Plus, some studies show7 that both fasting and calorie restriction in general can stimulate autophagy or the self-cleaning of cells, which may slow aging and increase longevity.
“Some of the effects of dirty fasting could be the same as traditional IF methods, but some of the effects of fasting may not be present,” says Tinsley. “If dirty fasting causes someone to consume fewer calories than they would during their normal eating pattern, it’s producing the same effect of many other fasting programs that help someone achieve an energy deficit. This, in turn, could allow for some of the downstream effects of an energy deficit, such as fat loss and a possible improvement in some clinical health markers,” Tinsley tells mindbodygreen.
Yet, Tinsley explains, since calories are consumed during the fasting window, it’s possible the degree of energy restriction—and subsequent health benefits like weight loss—would be smaller than if complete calorie restriction was used.
Even so, Tinsley says that if using dirty fasting methods helps someone stick to modified fasting and it’s an easier way for them to create a calorie deficit than traditional fasting methods, then it could help someone lose body fat and improve their metabolic health.
