According to Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Mark Mattson, Ph.D., who has researched fasting for more than 25 years, our bodies have evolved, and we can go without food for many hours or even days. In the past, human beings who relied on hunting and gathering to survive and thrive could go for long hours without food.
Recently, we have seen a surge in people practicing intermittent fasting, a practice that dates back many years ago and has played a significant role in different cultures and religions.
Intermittent fasting is the practice of abstaining from eating for a set amount of time before resuming regular eating. The most common duration of intermittent fasting involves refraining from food daily for 16 to 24 hours two days a week.
Methods of Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is done in several different ways. Below are the most popular methods.
- 16/8 method – This method involves limiting the intake of beverages and food to 8 hours, such as from 1-9 pm, and fasting for 16 hours.
- Eat-stop-eat – This method entails refraining from food for 24 hours once or twice a week. For instance, you can choose not to eat from 7 pm today until 7 pm the next day.
- The 5:2 diet: This type of intermittent fasting regime limits the intake of calories to 500-600 calories in a day for two non-consecutive days but usually eats for the remaining five days.
- The 16/8 method is the most popular since it is simple and easier to stick to.
- According to a study published in 2018, the 16:8 method of intermittent fasting lowered the systolic blood pressure among 23 participants. In another study, alternate fasting was credited for reducing harmful LDL cholesterol and blood triglycerides by 25% and 32%, respectively. In addition, another study linked intermittent fasting to a lower risk of coronary artery disease and diabetes.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Numerous studies on the benefits of intermittent fasting have been conducted on both human beings and animals, and the results have shown that it could have powerful benefits. Here are the main advantages of intermittent fasting:
Promotes weight loss by reducing calorie intake and increasing metabolism
- Intermittent fasting may contribute to weight loss. According to a study conducted in 2015, data from 13 studies indicated a 1.3 percent average weight loss in a two-week trial and 8 percent for an 8-week trial.
- Intermittent fasting also helps to speed up metabolism and increase the levels of neurotransmitter norepinephrine which boosts weight loss. A separate study showed that fasting for an entire day could decrease your body weight by up to 9%, as well as body fat over 12-24 weeks.
- Reduces blood pressure and enhances the heart’s health
Fights Inflammation
- According to a study by Mount Sinai researchers, fasting decreases inflammation and enhances chronic inflammatory illnesses without altering the body’s immune system response to severe infections.
- Although inflammation is a normal process in fighting infections, it can have detrimental consequences on your health, including diabetes, cancer, and inflammatory bowel diseases. In a separate study conducted on animals, a low-calorie diet that mimics intermittent fasting lowers inflammation and is critical in treating sclerosis and chronic inflammatory condition.
Promotes a healthy diet
- If you need the motivation to live a healthy diet, fasting does just that. It promotes a desire to eat healthy foods and reduces the craving for processed foods and junk. If you need some motivation and enthusiasm to make a fresh start in your diet choices, you can consider starting by fasting.
It helps to regulate blood sugar.
- If you are at risk of having diabetes, intermittent fasting may be beneficial in improving blood sugar control. According to a study published in the World Journal of Diabetes, 1 in 10 people with type 2 diabetes showed a lower blood sugar level after intermittent fasting.
- In another study, intermittent fasting was shown to have a similar effect on reducing calorie intake when lowering insulin resistance. The advantage of reducing insulin resistance is that it increases your body’s sensitivity to insulin hence leading to the efficient transportation of glucose to your body cells from the blood.
It promotes detoxification
- Intermittent fasting also helps in producing and activation of certain enzymes which are necessary for detoxification. As fats are broken down, the body can mobilize and eliminate stored fats. Fasting also boosts liver health which is one of the most critical organs involved in detoxification.
- Boosts brain function
- According to animal studies, fasting improves cognition and slows down neurodegeneration. The study indicated that the brain, memory, cognitive function, and alertness were better during fasting.
- According to another study, mice who were on intermittent fasting showed increased endurance than mice eating every day.
- Fasting in mice promotes the release of a protein called a brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF which is contained in nerve cells. It also triggers autophagy, where damaged molecules and dysfunctional mitochondria are removed.
Enhances growth hormone secretion
- The human growth hormone (HGH), secreted by the pituitary gland, is essential in growth, body composition, and metabolism. Studies have shown an increase in HGH levels by up to 300% after 2-3 days of intermittent fasting.
- After seven days of fasting, the HGH levels were shown to increase by 1250%. Intermittent fasting plays a crucial role in increasing the HGH levels by helping reduce the fat levels which affect HGH production.
- It also keeps your insulin levels low since insulin is usually released after a meal. High insulin levels have a negative effect on HGH production.
Aids in cancer prevention and effectiveness of chemotherapy treatment
- Test tube studies conducted have shown incredible benefits of intermittent fasting in the prevention of cancer. One study found intermittent fasting particularly useful in blocking the formation of tumors. A similar study also showed that exposing cancer cells to some fasting levels was effective in reducing the spread of tumors and increasing the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs.