What is Intermittent Fasting and is it Really Good for Your Body and Brain?
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Intermittent fasting is the new kid on the block when it comes to dieting trends. Every week, scientists seem to be uncovering another benefit. Protection from diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, enhanced physical fitness and strength are just a few of the benefits that have been discovered. Sounds like a dream come true for the modern health conscious individual. Does this kind of diet live up to the hype, and what do you have to do if you want to follow this eating regime? Here are some hints and tips to help you decide.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a diet that alternates periods of eating with periods of fasting. There are a number of different forms, ranging from allowing an intake of calories only during a certain period of the day to eating normally for five days of the week, interspersed with two fasting days, known as the 5:2 diet. Another type takes the form of a 36-hour break from food every week.
The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
There are many benefits for your body and brain with intermittent fasting. Whenever you stop eating for a while, certain things happen to your body. Insulin levels drop significantly which in turn leads to the burning of fat. The human growth hormone increases in the blood, which also facilitates fat burning together with muscle gain. Our body is induced to remove waste material from cells. Beneficial changes also occur in genes and molecules in our body that relate to longevity and disease protection.
Intermittent fasting is often used as a way to lose weight. Eating fewer meals means fewer calories, and therefore the pounds drop off, and you lose belly fat. Your metabolic rate increases which burns even more calories.
Type 2 diabetes is very common, and studies have shown that intermittent fasting has benefits for insulin resistance and leads to a reduction in blood sugar levels. Therefore, it also protects against type 2 diabetes.
Studies have shown that this type of diet can improve your body’s resistance to oxidative stress. This is one of the steps towards aging and some chronic diseases. It has also been shown to help fight inflammation.
One of the world’s biggest killers is heart disease. Many of the risk factors associated with heart disease, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and blood triglycerides are improved with intermittent fasting.
Experts are very optimistic about intermittent fasting, but there are still many unknowns. To date, most of the research done has involved overweight or obese adults. Very little is known about the benefits for those with normal weight. The good news is that so far it is proving to be beneficial for most adults, so it may be time to consider adding intermittent fasting to your lifestyle routine. Through helpful diet plans to guide you through the process, you may find it easier than you thought possible to see a positive change in your weight through this strategy.