The 5:2 Diet: Is Intermittent Fasting Safe & Effective? Everything you Need to Know

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The American TV host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel grew up as a skinny kid, but found himself trapped in a heavier trunk as an adult leading to his struggle to cut back on his weight through different means. The story sounds familiar, right? But, his diet lately may not sound as ordinary.

Kimmel shared that he went through the more normal processes of achieving weight loss, such as proper dieting and exercising. But, when he failed to keep up with the two, he tried restricting his calorie intake a bit by making do with two protein shakes and a super light dinner every day.

But, today, Kimmel admitted that he is into a new diet wherein he would intermittently fast for two days in a week and eat normally for the rest of the remaining five days.

"My new thing - something I've been doing for a couple of years now, actually - is starving myself two days a week. People call it the 5:2 diet, but I've been doing it since before it had a name. On Monday and Thursday, I eat fewer than 500 calories a day, then I eat like a pig for the other five days," Kimmel said in an article from the Men's Journal entitled, "The Weird Way Jimmy Kimmel Lost the Weight"

The 5:2 diet is the brainchild of a British physician named Michael Mosley. He tested the diet himself while he was doing a study on fasting and longevity. The idea is to eat lesser calories for two non-consecutive days during the week to the tune of 500 calories for women and 600 calories for men.

According to the Dr. Oz blog, some of the benefits of calorie restriction diets include a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and living a longer life. The diet, however, is not safe for expecting or breastfeeding moms. It is also not advisable for those with diabetes or those who have a history of eating disorders.

"First of all, dieting by starving or extreme calorie restriction is never a good way to lose weight. You not only risk pushing your body on starvation mode, but your stressed body tends to crave sweets and starchy foods. This is also why I always recommend having a full breakfast every morning. Starving yourself just makes you hungrier for junk food later," says Dr. Oz.

And, while the diet worked for Kimmelon and some studies claimed that intermittent fasting could lead to a positive effect for  blood sugar, fat loss and better way to cope up with stress, Dr. Oz added that further studies must be done to prove whether it's really effective.

He recommends looking into other healthier diet alternatives that promise weight loss in a safer way.