"He who eats until he is sick must fast until he is well," is an English proverb. And Ben Franklin hit the nail on the head with: "To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals."

Fasting has been around for millennia, but lately there's been a new focus on intermittent fasting — not eating for 12-16 hours daily — as a way to lose weight and upgrade your metabolic profile.

Is it effective? The latest study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, says it doesn’t help for weight loss. That's caused a lot of confusion, in part because this study's participants could eat any unhealthy thing they wanted from noon to 8 p.m. for 12 weeks. And that fasting group didn't take in any fewer calories than the study's other group, who were allowed three meals a day and snacks whenever they wanted.

When the researchers compared the results, they concluded that intermittent fasting doesn't make you metabolically healthier or help you lose more weight than eating around the clock.

Time-restricting your eating but pigging out the rest of the time on foods that prematurely age you is never a good idea.

Weight loss and metabolic improvements depend on how you fuel your body. You want to go plant-based, high-fiber, with lean proteins and omega-3-rich fish.

If you eat that way and practice intermittent fasting, you'll more easily reduce your calorie intake, lose weight, improve metabolic markers such as blood sugar levels, and reduce bad LDL cholesterol levels.