While fasting has been around in various forms throughout the history of mankind, it is only in recent times that many of us have become aware of intermittent fasting. This is because it is an eating program that is rapidly gaining popularity for its many health claims, which include bodyfat management, mental clarity and decreased risk of many chronic diseases.
But what is involved in IF, and how can an eating program this seemingly extreme be good for you—or easy to enact and follow?
The answers may surprise you.
What is IF?
What is IF?Intermittent fasting is a method of eating which takes advantage of the many benefits of fasting by limiting daily calories to certain periods, or “eating windows.” There is also more than one eating protocol to choose from so that if one doesn’t work well for you, another likely will.
These include:
- 16/8—The 16/8 protocol allows for a 16-hour fast followed by an 8-hour eating window. This is typically done by either eliminating breakfast, or by eliminating dinner, depending on your preference and needs. Your eating window can also be adjusted to suit your metabolism and other factors, and can be anywhere from a minimal 12/12 protocol, all the way up to a 20/4 “warrior diet” protocol.
- The 5/2 eating program—This protocol involves fasting (or restricting calories) for 2 days of the week while eating normally the other 5. Due to the extreme nature of this plan, it is recommended that 500 calories for women, or 600 calories for men be consumed on fast days.
- Alternate day fasting—Quite simply, alternate day fasting means fasting for 24 hours every other day. As with the 5/2 eating program and other long interval fasting protocols, consuming a limited 500-600 calories on fasting days is recommended.
- Random meal skipping—Rather than eating simply because your schedule says to, you can randomly skip meals. This can be due to you not being hungry, or you can skip mealtime in favor of other important tasks. While this method may not be as effective at inducing all of IF’s benefits, it is a good way to both start slowly with IF, as well as to reduce your long-term calories. (1)
What are the Benefits of Fasting?
While IF may be most popular as a means of weight management, it has benefits which go far beyond just that.
In fact, periods of fasting can help with:
- Improved mental function—Studies show that mice on alternate day fasting had better learning and memory capacity than mice with free access to their diet. This also included higher expression of certain mental proteins and lowering of oxidative stress, which suggests that IF may help to reduce age-related mental diseases such as Alzheimer’s. (2, 3)
- It induces autophagy—autophagy—or “self-devouring” in ancient Greek—is an evolutionary process of self-preservation in which dysfunctional cells are broken down and recycled in the absence of food energy. By removing toxic proteins and reusing their amino acids and other materials to promote healthy new cells, autophagy may help you stay younger, reduce your risk of age-related mental decline, and lower your risk for certain cancers and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. (4)
- It reduces insulin resistance—Fasting may help lower and control blood sugar, and it has shown to significantly lower blood sugar in those with type 2 diabetes. This, along with a diet low in simple sugars and high in fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and natural whole foods can significantly reduce your risk for diabetes and many other dangerous chronic diseases.
Intermittent Fasting and Your Health
Yes, intermittent fasting requires some discipline and commitment, though once you have established the IF protocol which works best for you, the benefits are worth it.
It does take time to get used to, which is best performed in small, comfortable increments so that you are not overwhelmed and miserable in transition. Once you have programmed your body to hit one milestone (working up to a 16-hour fast each day, for instance), it will be easier to achieve the next.
For improved mental function, lower risk of many chronic diseases, better blood sugar management and longevity, IF is an eating program which should not be ignored.
References:
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-ways-to-do-intermittent-fasting#section6
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23755298
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29307281
- https://www.healthline.com/health/autophagy#benefits
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