ReviewNutrients2022
Effect of Intermittent Fasting on Reproductive Hormone Levels in Females and Males: A Review of Human Trials.
Review in Nutrients, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
53 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of calorie restriction and intermittent fasting on glucose homeostasis, lipid profile, inflammatory, and hormonal markers in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Pooled it
- A novel fasting mimetic (Mimio) creates fasting-like benefits to hunger control, oxidative stress, and cardiometabolic health in humans.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Time-Restricted Eating Without Exercise Enhances Anaerobic Power and Reduces Body Weight: A Randomized Crossover Trial in Untrained Adults.Nutrients · 2025Trial
- Intermittent fasting: Impact, mechanisms and cautions across medical and lifestyle domains.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2026Review
- The Effects of Fasting and Caloric Restriction on Reproductive Hormones: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and GRADE Assessment.Food science & nutrition · 2026Review
- Review
- Sex-Specific Responses to Intermittent Fasting: A Narrative Review Across Physiological, Clinical, and Psychosocial Contexts.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Sexual Dimorphism and Menopausal Transition: A Narrative Review of the Metabolic and Physical Effects of Intermittent Fasting.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Intermittent Fasting Ameliorates Testicular Damage via Oxidative Stress Modulation in a Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rat Model.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Effects of Time-Restricted Eating on Ketone Metabolism and Immunoregulation in Premenopausal Women: Protocol for a Pilot, Prospective, Single-Arm Dietary Intervention Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Clinical review of how glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist obesity medications decrease sexual desire, and a biopsychosocial model for why we don't 'see' it.Obesity pillars · 2026Review
- Intermittent fasting enhances cancer therapyWorld journal of clinical oncology · 2026Review
- Nighttime-restricted feeding disrupts spermatogenesis in mice via gut microbiota-derived KYNA homeostasis.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Not All Stress Is the Same: Variable Associations Between Psychosocial Stressors and Urinary Cortisol Rhythms in a Small-Scale Subsistence Society.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2026Article
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A Comprehensive Review of Clinical Approaches, Functional Bioactives, and Nutritional Interventions.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2026Review
- Understanding the Secular Decline in Testosterone: Mechanisms, Consequences, and Clinical Perspectives.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Associations of meal timing and sleep timing with premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea in Japanese women: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- The role of diet in the pathogenesis and management of premature ovarian insufficiency.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Associations between chrono-nutrition and chronic kidney disease, urinary incontinence and kidney stones: a cross-sectional study.Preventive medicine reports · 2025Article
- Intermittent Fasting and Hormonal Regulation: Pathways to Improved Metabolic Health.Food science & nutrition · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Intermittent fasting is a popular diet for weight loss, but concerns have been raised regarding the effects of fasting on the reproductive health of women and men. Accordingly, we conducted this literature review to clarify the effects of fasting on reproductive hormone levels in humans. Our results suggest that intermittent fasting decreases androgen markers (i.e., testosterone and the free androgen index (FAI)) while increasing sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels in premenopausal females with obesity. This effect was more likely to occur when food consumption was confined to earlier in the day (eating all food before 4 pm). In contrast, fasting did not have any effect on estrogen, gonadotropins, or prolactin levels in women. As for men, intermittent fasting reduced testosterone levels in lean, physically active, young males, but it did not affect SHBG concentrations. Interestingly, muscle mass and muscular strength were not negatively affected by these reductions in testosterone. In interpreting these findings, it is important to note that very few studies have been conducted on this topic. Thus, it is difficult to draw solid conclusions at present. From the limited data presented here, it is possible that intermittent fasting may decrease androgen markers in both genders. If this is the case, these results would have varied health implications. On the one hand, fasting may prove to be a valuable tool for treating hyperandrogenism in females with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) by improving menstruation and fertility. On the other hand, fasting may be shown to decrease androgens among males, which could negatively affect metabolic health and libido. More research is warranted to confirm these preliminary findings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.