May Extend Your Lifespan Helping You Live Longer
One of the most exciting applications of intermittent fasting may be its ability to extend lifespan.
Studies in rodents have shown that intermittent fasting extends lifespan in a similar way as continuous calorie restriction .
Intermittent fasting has also been shown to increase the lifespans of fruit flies 30443-3.pdf” rel=”nofollow”> 43).
In some of these studies, the effects were quite dramatic. In an older study, rats that were fasted every other day lived 83% longer than rats who werent fasted .
In a 2017 study, mice that were fasted every other day saw their lifespans increase by around 13% .
Daily fasting was also shown to improve the overall health of male mice. It helped delay the onset of conditions such as fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma, which are both common in aging mice 30512-6″ rel=”nofollow”> 46).
Although this is far from being determined in humans, intermittent fasting has become very popular among the anti-aging crowd.
Given the known benefits for metabolism and all sorts of health markers, it makes sense that intermittent fasting could help you live a longer and healthier life.
SUMMARY
Restrictive Eating Can Influence Disordered Eating
Any diet that supports skipping meals or restrictive eating can trigger some not-so-great food relationships. Especially when the positive weight loss effects are directly impacted by not eating, or restricting food intake.
This isn’t a great mindset to go into fasting with and can lead some people to take intermittent fasting too far, developing disordered eating patterns, or getting caught up in a yo-yo dieting cycle.
Not to mention that not eating enough calories each day to meet your basic needs can lead to nutrient deficiencies, decrease your immunity and create havoc in your body.
Make sure you’re being honest with yourself before trying any kind of fasting practice and consult with your practitioner beforehand as a mindful or intuitive eating approach may be a better option.
Whatever your reason for wanting to intermittent fast, remember to incorporate basic nutrition principles including calorie control and a balanced diet to set yourself up for success.
Going rouge during your non-fasting periods can sabotage any hopes you have for reaping the health benefits when intermittent fasting.
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People Who Should Never Try Intermittent Fasting
By now, you’ve probably heard that intermittent fasting is a popular way to lose weight. However, any dietespecially one that involves fasting for extended periods of timecan have varying side effects, which brings up the question: is intermittent fasting safe for everyone? We spoke with LA-based nutritionist Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN healthy cooking expert Cedrina Calder, MD and registered dietitian Cynthia Sass, MPH, RDN, CSSD to find out which people shouldn’t try intermittent fasting because of varying health reasons.
But first, Bannan explains exactly how IF is a good method for losing weight. “Intermittent fasting causes glucose concentrations to decrease and lipolysis to increase significantly during the first 24 hours, which helps the body break down stored fat.” In other words, IF works to blast fat and fast. While it’s effective, it’s definitely not for everyone.
Here are 11 types of people who shouldn’t try the intermittent fasting diet.
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How Does Fasting Work
Our bodies put in a lot of work when it comes to processing the food we eat to provide us a consistent source of energy.
When we eat food is broken down into macro and micronutrients via digestive enzymes. Carbohydrates like rice and starchy vegetables get broken down into glucose to be absorbed into our bloodstream and utilized for immediate energy with the help of insulin.
When our cells don’t use all of the glucose from the food we eat it gets stored in our liver and muscles as glycogen. And when in a calorie surplus, any leftover fuel gets store in our fat cells, as fat.
In-between meals, and when we first start fasting as long as we aren’t snacking, our body will utilize glycogen and some stored fat for energy. But once our glycogen stores are depleted our body will begin to break down more fat for fuel .
Prolonged fasting will eventually prompt our body to experience ketosis and metabolically switch to breaking down fat as fuel using stored fatty acids instead of glycogen for energy .
Supports Brain Health And Function
Intermittent fasting may help improve memory and mental performance and support brain health/function by protecting neurons in the brain against deterioration and dysfunction .
emerging evidence suggests that intermittent fasting could be a useful intervention in neurodegenerative diseases such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, and stroke .
Keep in mind that it’s not simply the act of fasting alone that may have these potential benefits, decreased inflammation, reductions in body fat, and healthier blood sugar levels have all been linked to healthy brain function.
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The Pice De Rsistance: It May Help You Live Longer
Fasting seems to help cells repair themselves, which might be why its tied to a lower risk of many diseases. Fasting could reduce the risk of several metabolic and cardiovascular conditions and having better overall health and less likelihood of illness could contribute to a longer life.
So, will limiting your food intake help you see 100? No guarantees, of course, but back in 1982, a study looking at rats found that rodents who fasted every other day aged at a slower rate and lived a whopping 83 percent longer than rats who didnt fast.
It Can Help You Lose Weight
Fasting every other day has been found to be just as effective for weight loss as traditional low calorie diets. Aside from the fact that youll likely end up taking in fewer calories, going longer without eating seems to have a positive effect on blood sugar and fat burning.
And youll see results pretty quickly: A 2015 review concluded that whole-day fasts could help you shed up to 6 percent of your body fat in as little as 12 weeks.
However, the way you break your fast also matters. Returning to your pre-fasting ways can result in weight regain.
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End Your Fast If Necessary
During a fast, listening to your body is one of the most important things you can do. Sometimes, a fast just isnt working out, even if it has before. Battling your way through sickness may only make things worse.
Stop Fasting If Your Experience:
- Dizziness
- Chest Pain
- Stomach Pain
Feeling hungry, fatigued, or irritated are common during fasting and arent serious symptoms. Most of the time, these will pass.
However, if you begin to show more serious signs of illness, you should end your fast right away until you regain your energy.
Ok But Does Intermittent Fasting Actually Make You Healthier
While Longo’s study might sound promising, it’s important to note that the data was collected from animals and a small group of cancer patients, so it does not reflect a larger, more diverse sample of human subjects.
Further, most intermittent fasting plans recommend not eating between 16 to 24 hours a much shorter period of time than the four-day fast in Longo’s study. For this reason, Longo says it’s unlikely that his study has any long-term implications about the health benefits of intermittent fasting.
Your body won’t eliminate old cells “until two, three or four days into the fasting,” he says. “It takes even longer for the system to start really breaking down muscle, breaking down immune cells, breaking down different tissues.”
Weinandy also points out that future studies will require a broader sample size than Longo’s, so we can determine how fasting affects different groups of people for instance, the elderly, or diabetes patients.
“Theres going to have to be a ton more research” for us to know if fasting has any long-term health benefits, she says.
“You really have to look at things like this very cautiously.”
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Health Benefits Of Fasting Backed By Science
Despite its recent surge in popularity, fasting is a practice that dates back centuries and plays a central role in many cultures and religions.
Defined as the abstinence from all or some foods or drinks for a set period of time, there are many different ways of fasting.
In general, most types of fasts are performed over 2472 hours.
Intermittent fasting, on the other hand, involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting, ranging from a few hours to a few days at a time.
Fasting has been shown to have many health benefits, from increased weight loss to better brain function.
Here are 8 health benefits of fasting backed by science.
Benefits Of Fasting That Will Surprise You
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- 10 Benefits of Fasting That Will Surprise You
Fasting is not a new thing. For centuries, the practice has played a central role in several religions and cultures.
The month of Ramadan is known all over the world as a month of fasting for Muslims. Catholics fast on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. Jews observe six days of fasting, the most known of which is Yom Kippur.
Hindus observe a fast during the new moon and during festivals such as Puja, Saraswati and Shivarati. The Mormons observe a fast on the first Sunday of each month.
Several other religions, including Buddhism, Taoism and Jainism have their own fasting practices.
Many of these religions practice fasting because they believe that there is a connection between the physical and the spiritual state.
In the last few decades, there has been an upsurge in the popularity of fasting.
However, many of those who are adopting this age-old practice today are not doing so for religious reasons.
They are doing it for health reasons.
While people used to fast for spiritual reasons in the past, scientists and researchers have confirmed that fasting also provides numerous health benefits.
Below are 10 benefits of fasting that will surprise you and hopefully give you the motivation you need to get started with the practice.
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You Have A Weak Immune System Or Cancer
Those who have recently experienced a major illness or are currently facing one should not engage in IF without clearing it with a doctor first. Here’s why: “In most cases, adequate caloric intake is needed in order to maintain lean body mass and a healthy immune system, which is necessary for individuals with cancer or weakened immune systems,” says Calder. “These individuals should speak with a doctor before trying intermittent fasting.” To bolster your immune response, consider skipping IF and adding these 11 Healthy Habits to Make Your Immune System Stronger to your routine.
Fasting Helps Weight Loss
Fasting can be a safe way to lose weight as many studies have shown that intermittent fasting fasting that is controlled within a set number of hours allows the body to burn through fat cells more effectively than just regular dieting.
Intermittent fasting allows the body to use fat as its primary source of energy instead of sugar. Many athletes now use fasting as means to hitting low body fat percentages for competitions.
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Examples Of Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting involves going for extended periods of time without eating, or eating very little, followed by a period of eating normally.
- Alternate day fasting is when you fast on alternate days and eat ad libitum on eating days.
- The 5:2 involves severely reducing your calorie intake on two days of the week and eating a healthy, balanced diet on the other five days.
- 16:8 intermittent fasting involves eating only during an eight-hour window and fasting for the remaining 16 hours. For example, you may eat between 10am and 6pm, then refrain from eating until the next day at 10am again.
- Some people do a 24-hour fast, which involves consuming no calories on one day of the week or month.
But Is Intermittent Fasting Good For You
While some researchhas shown the benefits of IF, such as weight loss, lowerblood pressure and improved metabolic health, more investigation isstill needed, especially regarding long-term outcomes of IF. There is also theaspect of sustainability. Severely restricting calories or not eating for longperiods at a time isnt for everyone. Some researcheven shows that those who do intermittent fasting dont usually stick with itas compared with those trying to lose weight on more traditional diets.
Still, IF has been shown to be an effective form of weight loss but so have other options like eating a well-balanced diet paired withexercise. One studysuggests that IF is not more effective at supporting weight loss or improvingblood sugars than other well-balanced approaches.
Weight loss is never a one-size-fits-all approach, saysTaylor. IF may be sustainable for some people, while others find that this approachjust isnt for them.
If you want to try IF, youll first need to figure out how you are going to incorporate this style of eating into your life, especially when it comes to things like social events and staying active, she advises.
Ready to explore your options? Here Taylor explains some of the most popular IF methods.
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Fasting Speeds Up The Metabolism
Intermittent fasting gives your digestive system a rest, and this can energise your metabolism to burn through calories more efficiently. If your digestion is poor, this can effect your ability to metabolise food and burn fat. Intermittent fasts can regulate your digestion and promote healthy bowel function, thus improving your metabolic function.
Intermittent Fasting Is Not A Magic Pill
Whether you are doing IF, keto, low carb, high protein, vegetarian, the Mediterranean diet you name it it all comes down to the quality of your calories and how much youre consuming.
The bottom line with IF? Although the jury is still out and long-term effects are still being studied, its crucial to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet while following IF.
You cant eat junk food and excessive calories on non-fasting days and expect to lose weight, says Taylor.
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The Effects Of Ketosis On Your Body
While ketosis is usually associated with a ketogenic diet, it can also be achieved through prolonged fasting. If you eat fewer than 50 grams of carbs a day for 2-4 days, your body will more than likely enter ketosis.
Ketosis is a process in the body where energy typically derived from carbs comes from ketones instead.
These ketones are produced from fat in the body. This makes ketosis an ideal state for weight loss, as well as providing other benefits to your health.
The health benefits associated with ketosis are much the same as the health benefits of fasting. There have been studies conducted that show evidence that a state of ketosis can lead to things such as:
- Lower risk of heart disease
- Prevent or improve the effects of Type 2 Diabetes
- Improve the symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons
- Aid in fighting cancer
Though ketosis is safe and even good for healthy people, it may make you feel a bit sick in the beginning. You may experience headaches, fatigue, and constipation in the early days, but these symptoms should subside.
What Not To Do When You Are Fasting
Dont fast if you arent fit for it. People who fall into the category of avoiding fasts are people who are pregnant, young kids, and those on time-sensitive medication. Fasting can be hard on the body and could present dangers to those who are already compromised in some way.
Dont feast right before a fast. Eating a large amount of food just before a fast wont help your energy levels. You may end up feeling even worse. Its best to eat a meal that is well-balanced and includes protein and a carb like a starchy vegetable.
Dont engage in any high-intensity exercise while fasting. You should limit yourself to light exercise on fasting days to avoid burning up all your energy. If you do something intense, you may end up ruining your fast or harming your body in the process.
Dont forget to take your vitamins. Some vitamins can only be taken with food, while others should be taken on an empty stomach. Keeping up with your nutrients is important during a fast so that your body doesnt become deficient in anything.
Dont binge after a fast. While its incredibly tempting, you shouldnt have a feast after youve finished fasting. There are better ways to celebrate your success. Instead, have a healthy, well-balanced meal and pat yourself on the back.
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It Doesnt Help You Create Mindful Eating Habits
While Boules admits that intermittent fasting can be a great strategy for curbing mindless late-night snacking, it can totally work against mindful eating, too. Rather than thinking about whether or not youre truly hungry, youre simply eating by the clock.
I encourage my clients to on a daily basis and act accordingly, she says. Every day is different for sleep, exercise, stress, hormones, and schedule, which all affects appetite. Its one of many reasons I don’t believe it’s healthy to apply rules to your food philosophy.
What Can You Eat
A water fast is true to its name: It’s a fast during which all food and drink except water are restricted. That means no coffee, no tea, no alcohol, no zero-calorie sports drinks, or any other beverage. This also means no food.
Water fasts typically last 2472 hours, but medically supervised water fasts may last up to 40 days. For your safety, you should not try to fast without medical clearance and supervision.
Many popular cleanses are modeled after water fasting, such as the Master Cleanse, during which you drink a spicy lemonade concoction for 1040 days. Most people embark on a water fast or similar regimen for the purported health benefits, which are mostly anecdotal.
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All other foods and liquids
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