Intermittent fasting is more than just a way to lose weight. By reducing the time frame in which you eat, you can delay aging, lower cardiovascular risk and improve sleep quality. Read on for more information.
What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting – periods of voluntary abstinence from food and drink – is a broad term that can be applied to many different practices. This type of diet has stimulated many books and has received a lot of attention in recent years, as studies (mostly in animals) have shown that it can reduce the risk of several diseases and also promote weight loss. Further additional research, including a small study of four people who did intermittent fasting suggest that intermittent fasting may also help boost metabolism.
The most popular approach to intermittent fasting is the 16:8 approach, which requires fasting for 16 hours a day; for example, you eat between 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Another version, alternate-day fasting (ADF), alternates periods of 24-hour fasts (which are actually very restricted diets with only 500 calories) with days of free eating. The 5:2 approach limits fasting to just two days a week, while the Warrior diet follows a 20-hour fast with one large meal consumed at night.
Intermittent fasting may be easier to sustain than traditional diets
Research suggests that counting calories and restricting your food options can cause stress and increase cortisol production, which can then lead to dieting, feelings of deprivation, uncontrolled cravings and weight gain. Adjusting to intermittent fasting, a method of planned eating and fasting, is strictly time dependent. Some people want more flexibility when it comes to losing weight.
“They don't want to think about dieting every day of the week and lose motivation after a certain period of calorie restriction.”
Intermittent fasting helps maintain weight over the long term
Following a intermittent fasting diet can make it easier to maintain the lost weight in the long run. A two-part study of 40 obese adults, published in Frontiers in Physiology in 2016, compared the combined effects of a high-protein, low-calorie, intermittent fasting diet with a traditional heart-healthy diet. The results showed that, while both diets proved equally successful in lowering body mass index (BMI) and blood lipids (fatty acids and cholesterol), those on the intermittent fasting diet showed a benefit in minimizing weight gain after a year.
Intermittent fasting can help people at risk for diabetes
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 84.1 million people in the United States have prediabetes, a condition that, if left untreated, often leads to type 2 diabetes within five years. Lose weight, exercise more, and stay healthy food can help fight type 2 diabetes.
“When you lose weight, you become more sensitive to insulin. It lowers blood sugar.”
When we eat, our bodies release insulin into the bloodstream to provide the cells with energy, but those who are pre-diabetic are insulin resistant, meaning their blood sugar levels remain high. Intermittent fasting can help people with pre-diabetes because it reduces the need for the body to produce insulin as often.
“If you are pre-diabetic or have a family history of diabetes, this diet may be helpful.”
Research has shown promising results in support of these claims: A study published in the journal Cell in 2017 found that a diet that mimics fasting cycles could restore insulin secretion and increase the production of new insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells in mice with could promote type 1 and 2 diabetes. While further research remains to be done, early studies using human cell samples suggest a similar potential.
Intermittent fasting helps synchronize your biorhythm and fight metabolic diseases
Your circadian rhythm, also called biorhythm or sleep-wake rhythm, is your internal clock and a natural system that regulates feelings of sleepiness and wakefulness over a 24-hour period. Research published in the Annual Review of Nutrition in 2017 suggests that intermittent fasting can help us stick to our body's circadian rhythm, which may aid our metabolism. Eating certain foods before bed has also been linked to weight gain and sleep disturbances, especially if they cause acid reflux.
We know that insulin sensitivity increases during the day and that we are less sensitive to insulin at night – the same goes for digestion. You wonder if eating in the evening works against our biological clock. If you want to honor your biorhythm, you need to go to bed and sleep earlier so that the body can repair itself.
Intermittent fasting can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease
In the United States alone, about 610,000 people die from heart disease, according to the CDC — that's one in four deaths. You can reduce your risk of heart disease by following a healthy lifestyle: eating right, exercising, not smoking and limiting alcohol consumption. Research also shows that intermittent fasting can help.
“Limiting calories every day improves cardiovascular risk, blood glucose control and insulin resistance.”
In a small study of 32 adults, published in the Nutrition Journal in 2013, an every other day fasting regimen resulted in weight loss and cardiovascular benefits, including improved LDL cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentration.
The studies use fasting every other day, but remember that fasting doesn't mean not eating, but rather eating less during the day. This type of diet represents a different way of doing things, and it may appeal to some because it allows them to limit a few days of the week instead of every day.
Intermittent fasting can slow the aging process
Research shows that the benefits of intermittent fasting can mimic the effects of very low-calorie diets, which are good for anti-aging. A study published in the journal Cell Metabolism in 2014 found that fasting can slow aging and help prevent and treat disease. It revealed that fasting triggers adaptive cellular stress responses, resulting in a better ability to cope with more stress and fight off disease.
Low-calorie diets increase mitochondrial stress and the benefit is anti-aging. The better your mitochondria (the powerhouse of our cells) work, the better your body works.
Intermittent fasting works for different types of goals
Intermittent fasting may provide the greatest benefits for overweight people, but people who have plateaued in their weight loss efforts may find that intermittent fasting can jump-start their metabolism and aid in their progress. It may also be beneficial for those with digestive issues. If you find that your digestion is slow in the evening or you have digestive issues at night, eating earlier and fasting overnight may help.
Sometimes trying something different, like intermittent fasting, is enough for some people to get back on track with their weight loss goals.
Periodic fasting is not for everyone
If you are an all round healthy person, there is no risk of trying intermittent fasting. But anyone with an eating disorder, history of eating disorders, or body dysmorphism should not attempt intermittent fasting on this form of diet. People with type 1 diabetes, women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, and those taking prescription medications that must be taken with food at a specific time, are also not eligible for intermittent fasting. One of the biggest drawbacks of intermittent fasting is that it can be hard on your social life, especially if you enjoy eating out (and having a drink at the same time).
Intermittent Fasting Can Affect Your Exercise Regimen
It's not always safe to exercise heavily on fasting days. If you eat only 25 percent of your daily calories and still get plenty of exercise, you may suffer on those days. Your body needs energy from glycogen stores to exercise, and when these levels are low, you feel weak. Even if you have low glycogen, your body will break down protein (the building blocks of muscle) for fuel, resulting in muscle loss.
While it's not that hard to train the day of your fast, it's hard the day after you fast because your energy reserves are depleted by the fast. Another problem with intermittent fasting is that many people get hungry after exercise, which can lead to breaking the fast. Planning your meals can help you lose weight and manage your weight, but it's still important to fuel your body when you're more physically active. If intermittent fasting seems too ambitious, learn to make the small changes in your diet that can help you lose weight.
Sources ao AbbeysKitchen (link), ScienceDirect (link), TheHealthy (link)
4.5