A Beginner's Guide to Intermittent Fasting
Time-restricted feeding, otherwise known as intermittent fasting, involves cycling between periods of fasting and eating. It does not specify which kind of foods you should eat, but rather when you should eat it. Intermittent fasting is not actually a diet but more of an eating pattern.
If done right, intermittent fasting can also contribute to significant health improvement even before weight loss kicks in.
The main difference between fasting and starvation is the exercise of control. In starvation, it is the involuntary absence of food for a period of time that may result in health deterioration and even death. In fasting, however, it is the voluntary avoidance of food for specific reasons, whether it be religious reasons or for health.
What Happens During Intermittent Fasting?
Scientists from the University of Copenhagen, the Australian Catholic University, and Karolinska Institute made a study on how the body adapts to a time-restricted feeding. Their study reveals that there are changes in the genetic activity of muscles, as well as the content of muscle fats and proteins.
When we eat, the food is broken down by gut enzymes and ends up as molecules in our bloodstream which our cells utilize for energy. If our cells don't use it, it will be temporarily stored as fat.
When we are not eating, our insulin levels go down causing our fat cells to release its stored sugar which can burn off fat can help lose weight.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
1. Promotes weight loss
Intermittent fasting lowers insulin levels which lower weight. Insulin is the hormone responsible for cells to consume glucose. When a person is not consuming food, the insulin levels drop, and the cells will release the glucose that they have in store which can contribute to weight loss.
2. Lowers the risk for type 2 diabetes
With time-restricted fasting, this means that you get all your calories for the day during a specific number of hours. If you have made an 8-hour plan, it means you can consume foods from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and then not again until the next day at 10 a.m.
Fasting helps your body with managing glucose (blood sugar) and cuts down on insulin resistance.
A small study involving three men who had had type 2 diabetes for 10-25 years was conducted, these men were told to fast 3 times a week under medical supervision, within a month, all of them were able to stop taking insulin, and in less than a year, they were able to stop taking their other diabetes medications.
3. Reduces inflammation
Miriam Merad, MD, Ph.D., Director of the Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has noted that while studying human and mouse immune cells, intermittent fasting shows a reduction in the release of pro-inflammatory cells called "monocytes." During periods of fastings, these cells go to "sleep mode" and are less inflammatory compared to those during the fed state.
Although there is scientific evidence suggesting that intermittent fasting when combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle can have an overall positive impact on health, it still better to consult a health care professional prior to attempting this diet.
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Sep 18, 2020 08:00 AM EDT
