Intermittent Fasting! Is it actually worth it?

Everyone is talking about the new fitness trend that is “Intermittent fasting”. People are using it to lose weight, improve their health and simplify their lifestyles. But does it actually works?  How is it different from starvation? Wouldn’t it result in loss of muscle mass? Let’s find out all about it and various aspects and benefits it produce on our body.

ISN’T IT A MODERN TERM FOR STARVATION?

First thing first, how is it different from Starvation? Actually starvation is the involuntary absence of food for a long time which is neither deliberate nor in a controlled fashion.

 Fasting ,on the other hand, is simply the voluntary suppression of food for religious, spiritual, health, or other reasons.  This can be for any period of time, from a few hours up to a few days.

To put it simply, intermittent fasting is implied to anytime when you are not eating for about 12-16 hours window.

TYPES OF INTERMITTENT FASTING:

1. The 16/8 method:

This method involves fasting every day for 14–16 hours and limiting your eating window to 8–10 hours. Within the eating window, you can eat healthy food, fruits and vegetables and don’t go excessive on calories.

This method of fasting can actually be as very simple as not eating anything after dinner and skipping breakfast.

For instance, if you finish your last meal at 9 p.m. and don't eat until noon the next day, you’re technically fasting for 16 hours. Although women are recommended to fast only for 14-15 hours.

You can drink water, coffee, and other zero-calorie beverages during the fast, which can help reduce feelings of hunger (although it’s better not to).

2. The 5:2 diet

The 5:2 diet or “fast diet” involves eating normally 5 days of the week while restricting your calorie intake to 500–600 for 2 days of the week.

On the fasting days, it’s recommended that women eat 500 calories and men eat around 600 calories.

For example, you might eat normally every day of the week except Mondays and Thursdays. For those two days, you eat 2 small meals of 250 calories each for women and 300 calories each for men.

3. Eat-Stop-Eat

Eat-Stop-Eat involves a 24-hour fast once or twice per week.

By fasting from dinner one day to dinner the next day, this amounts to a full 24-hour fast.

For example, if you finish dinner at 9 p.m, Monday and don't eat until dinner at 9 p.m. the next day, you've completed a full 24-hour fast. You can also fast from breakfast to breakfast or lunch to lunch.

(If you’re doing this to lose weight, it’s very important that you eat normally during the eating periods)

4. Alternate-day fasting

In alternate-day fasting, you fast every alternate day. A full fast every other day can seem rather extreme though. Therefore, it’s not recommended for beginners.

5. The Warrior Diet

It involves eating small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables during the day and eating one huge meal at night.

Basically, you fast all day and feast at night within a four-hour eating window.

6. Spontaneous meal skipping

Another option is to simply skip meals from time to time, such as when you don't feel hungry or are too busy to cook and eat.

Thus, if you're really not hungry one day, skip breakfast and just eat a healthy lunch and dinner. Skipping one or two meals when you feel inclined to do so is basically a spontaneous intermittent fast.

BENEFITS? ARE THERE ANY?

 Actually there are a lot of them, Let’s get started, when we are in a fasting state a lot of benefits are produced in our on the cellular and molecular level. 

Here are some documented changes that occur in your body when you fast:

•        Human Growth Hormone (hGH): Human growth hormone as the name implies plays a vital role in growth of body, protein metabolism and breakdown of fat. It also boost up the memory and learning skills. It has also been found that people with low level of hCG may be more prone to depression. Intermittent fasting increases the levels of growth hormone by as much as 5-fold. (2)(3)(4)                                                                                    
      
•         Insulin:  Blood sugar levels are reduced by 3-6% and fasting insulin levels by as much as 20-31%. This plays an essential role in protecting against type 2 diabetes.                                                                         
  
                                                                                                                      
•          Cellular repair: When fasted, your cells induce cellular repair processes. This includes autophagy, a phenomenon where cells digest and remove old and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells (5). Some studies also links intermittent fasting with reductions in markers of inflammation, a key driver of many chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, arthritis.(6)(7)                                                                                                                                      
  
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•    Gene expression: There are changes in the function of genes related to longevity and protection against disease such as cancer and even prevent aging to an extent (8). Studies showed that fasted rats lived 36–83% longer. 9 , 10                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
  
                                                                                                
•         Heart health: Intermittent fasting may reduce LDL cholesterol (generally called bad cholesterol), blood triglycerides, inflammatory markers (such as CRP), blood sugar and insulin resistance- all which contribute to be the risk factors for heart disease.                                                                                                 
  
  
  
                                                                                               
•         Brain health: Intermittent fasting increases the brain hormone “Brain-derived neurotropic factor” which may aid the growth and maturation of new nerve cells, it may also play an essential role in protecting against Alzheimer’s disease. (11)                                                                                
  

 BUT HOW DOES IT ACTUALLY WORK?

Ok, so we are done with the first part. Let’s move to the basic account of how it actually works. When we fast for around 16-18 hours, for blood sugar level is dropped and aur fat deposits are consumed to be used for energy. Which particularly result in loss of fat percentage and catabolism of fats (1). Not only this, sugar resistance is reduced in diabetic and prediabetic patients
 (2).Intermittent fasting is now recommended by many NHS doctors in UK for the treatment of pre-diabetic patients.

ANY SIDE EFFECTS?

The only side-effect you can be suffering is hunger, weakness and less alert brain but don’t worry! This is only supposed to be temporary, as it can take some time for your body to adapt to the new meal schedule.

                        But if you are having any one of the below listed conditions, it’s better to consult your doctor before going for fasting.

•                   Have diabetes.

•                   Have problems with blood sugar regulation.

•                   Have low blood pressure.

•                   Take medications.

•                   Are underweight.

•                   Have a history of eating disorders.

•                   Are a woman who is trying to conceive.

•                   Are a woman with a history of amenorrhea.

•                   Are pregnant or breastfeeding.

In short, intermittent fasting has an outstanding safety profile. There is nothing dangerous about not eating for a while if you’re healthy and well-nourished overall.

Muslims all around the world are also fasting in the Holy month of Ramadan. Check here how is it different from intermittent fasting.