Fasting for stress relief? small study in women cut short
NCT ID NCT05628727
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study compared two types of intermittent fasting (16:8 time-restricted eating and the 5:2 diet) to see if they could lower stress in women. Only 6 women with mild to high stress took part before the study was stopped early. Researchers measured stress through questionnaires and brain tests over 8 weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- intermittent fasting (time-restricted feeding or 5:2 diet)
- What this could lead to
- If it worked, this could point toward a simple dietary approach to help women manage psychological stress.
- What could go wrong
- The trial was terminated early with only 6 participants, so results are very limited. It is unclear if fasting is safe or effective for stress in women.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
6 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2023
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 30 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * English speaker * Assignment of female sex at birth * BMI between 18.5-24.9 kg/m\^2 * Current engagement in less than 150 minutes of physical activity per week * Normal menstrual cycle length (21-40 days) for at least 3 months * Non-smoker * Consumption of no more than one alcoholic beverage per day * Mild to higher levels of stress as indicated by a score of 15 or higher on the stress sub-set of the DASS-21 questionnaire Exclusion criteria: * Pregnant or breastfeeding * Diagnosed chronic disease (cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, reproductive, renal, neuromuscular, or any other disease or condition as assessed by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Get Active Questionnaire) * Diagnosed eating disorder * Participation in a weight-loss program in the last 3 months * Loss of 5% of body weight or more in the last 3 months
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada
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