Intermittent fasting—IF— has become quite a hot topic in Dublin, CA. Some people think it’s a diet or think that they have to give up food for long periods, but that’s just not true. Intermittent fasting is one method of losing weight and improving health that doesn’t require any specific diet, but of course, healthy eating still is important. It’s a way to schedule your meals and give your digestion a break. It can be as simple as eating only during an eight-hour period and fasting the other sixteen, to eating light or not eating one or two days a week.
Weight loss may be one benefit of intermittent fasting.
There are studies that show both types of IF, eating only within an eight-hour window or fasting for one or two days a week, may help boost weight loss. Your body requires glucose as fuel and that simple sugar comes from food. If the food is sugar or simple carbs, it’s broken down more quickly. If you don’t eat food used to create glucose, after eight-hours, the body breaks down fat for food. Your insulin levels drop and you lose weight. Studies show that using an eight-hour window for food consumption actually lowered subject’s appetite.
Animal studies about intermittent fasting have been around for quite a while.
As early as the 1940s, animal studies on the effects of IF on aging. The studies at the University of Chicago showed that feeding rats on alternate days helped them live longer and delayed the normal signs and diseases of aging. It was surmised that fasting was a normal part of life, since early man did not have easy access to food and often had to go without for several days. The studies showed improved metabolism, weight loss, an aid to fight inflammation, lower blood sugar levels, reduced insulin resistance, and improved removal of damaged cells, which aided in lowering the risk of cancer. It even showed improved brain function.
There can be dangers in fasting and it’s not for everyone.
People with advanced diabetes and take medication shouldn’t fast unless they’re under the supervision of a doctor. Those taking heart medication, blood pressure medicine, are pregnant or breastfeeding or have an eating disorder shouldn’t fast without being closely monitored either or at all in some cases. Even circadian fasting, eating all your food in an eight-hour window and fasting the other 16, need to talk to their health care professional first.
- IF may be healthy and help you shed extra pounds, but it’s never meant to replace healthy food. If you’re eating junk food in your window of eating, you simply won’t lose weight or be healthier.
- More recent Japanese human studies confirmed what was learned by earlier animal studies. Fasting tended to slow the aging process, while also speeding up metabolism. Rats on the IF program had dark coats, while their counterparts had grayed or died.
- One of the reasons circadian fasting may work is that many people gain weight from eating snacks late at night. Narrowing the window, while also reducing hunger is the perfect combination for weight loss.
- If your doctor okays circadian IF, people with insulin resistance or early diabetes often benefit from it. It lowers blood sugar and insulin levels, while also increasing energy and mental clarity.
For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness 24/7