The Skinny on Intermittent Fasting

Over the years I've had my weight yo-yo for a number of reasons. A family history of hypothyroidism, food intolerances, adrenal fatigue and also comfort eating. Which is why I love to assist people with a desire to lose weight because I know first hand how to assist them through my own and clinical experience.

I've found that regular intermittent fasting has been one of the most effective tools to keep my weight stable for a number of years now. Even in my 40's and 50's when your metabolic rate can drop!

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a hot topic in health worldwide. Anecdotal and scientific research in humans and other animals are finding that there is a wide range of health benefits to performing some form of IF regularly. Here is a discussion of some of the scientifically based benefits of IF. 

What is IF?

IF is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. There are various forms of IF, for instance the 16 hour fast with 8 hours of eating, or the weekly 24 hour fast. The key is choosing the form that works best for your body and can be most easily fit into your life. Many people find the 16 hour fast easy as it can be done anytime within the day. For instance, stop eating after dinner and eat again at lunch, thereby just missing breakfast.  

Health benefits of IF

The health benefits of IF include weight loss, especially of the abdomen, benefits for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, oxidative stress and inflammation and may even increase the duration of your lifespan! 

We know from scientific research that IF can regulate the function of cells, genes and also hormones. What this translates into is better waste elimination from cells which is part of cellular repair.

IF induces beneficial changes in several molecules and genes linked to longevity and disease protection (Martin, Mattson, Maudsley, 2006, pp. 332-353).

IF assists heart health in many ways, including the reduction of inflammation, glucose and insulin as previously discussed. Also, cholesterol and triglyceride levels reduce, and the blood pressure drops – which causes damage to the arterial walls, resulting in plaques which can block the arteries leading to strokes (Varady, Bhutani, Church, Klempel, 2009, pp. 1138-43). 

A lifestyle intervention for 10 patients with Alzheimer’s, that involved daily short-term fasts, was found in a series of case reports to significantly improve Alzheimer’s symptoms in 9 out of the 10 patients (Bredesen, 2014, pp. 707-717). 

IF and weight loss benefits

Studies have found that short term IF can stimulate the metabolic rate anywhere from 3.6-14% which means greater weight loss from calorie burn (Mansell, Fellows, MacDonald, 1990, pp. 87-93). Also, that 3-8% of weight loss can occur within 3-24 weeks (Barnosky, Hoddy, Unterman, Varady, 2014, pp. 302-311).

The most dangerous fat we can hold in our bodies is that around our abdomen, which causes many diseases. In the same study people lost 4-7% of their waist circumference. 

Fat burning is stimulated as insulin levels drop (Heilbronn, Smith, Martin, Anton, Ravussin, 2005, pp. 6973). Also blood sugar reduces which means excellent news for diabetics.

Another hormone that stimulates fat burning and muscle gain is human growth hormone and IF can stimulate its 5-fold release (Ho, Veldhuis, Johnson, Furlanetto, Evans, Alberti, Thorner, 1988, pp. 968-975).  

A word of caution: IF doesn’t suit everyone, for instance if you are pregnant or have a history of eating disorders. Also, some people need to be carefully prepared in order to be able to do IF. For this a well-trained naturopath experienced in IF can be invaluable

Feel free to book an appointment, if you would like some assistance with incorporating Intermittent Fasting into your daily life health practices. 

BOOK A CONSULTATION

Shine bright, Nic