18 Jun Intermittent Fasting: Should Everyone Do It?
Intermittent fasting has been a popular approach to weight loss, with claims that it can also be beneficial for brain and heart health.
It does not dictate what specific types of food you should eat but mainly points out the time when you should eat and should be fasting.
Others do it for spiritual reasons, specifically those practicing Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism.
Intermittent Fasting: The How
There are several ways you can do intermittent fasting, all involving splitting your eating patterns into eating and fasting periods.
When in fasting periods, you will not be allowed to eat or drink anything, except for water, herbal tea, and black coffee.
Here are some of the popular intermittent fasting approaches:
- 16:8: During the 16:8 fasting period, you will be allowed to have an 8-hour window to eat all your meals. People usually do this by skipping dinner or breakfast.
- 5:2: The 5:2 fasting pattern allows you to eat regularly on the five days of the week while restricting yourself to 500-600 calories on two consecutive days.
- Longer hours of fasting period such as 24 or 36 hours or longer: This means fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week. However, this is not an advisable approach and can only be done by those who are already comfortable with intermittent fasting. In addition, going too long without eating might cause your body to store more fat as a response to starvation.
Intermittent Fasting Health Benefits
Intermittent fasting can cause a metabolic change, which can also affect the brain and your body.
A 2019 study discussed the benefits of intermittent fasting, which includes a longer lifespan, a leaner body, and a sharper cognitive function.
Other benefits of intermittent fasting include:
- Better heart health
- Physical performance
- Weight loss
- Reduced insulin resistance
- Reduced inflammation
Intermittent Fasting: Word of Caution
Although there can be benefits to intermittent fasting, more studies are needed on the practice.
In addition, there are side effects that you should be aware of including:
- Hunger
- Feelings of weakness
- Poor brain performance due to starvation
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Insomnia
Intermittent fasting is also generally safe, but it does not mean that it should be done by everyone.
Talk to your doctor if you are considering intermittent fasting, especially those who have conditions such as:
- Pregnancy, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding
- Diabetes
- gastroesophageal reflux
- Kidney stones
- Having a history of eating disorders
- Having a history of amenorrhea
Lifestyle changes should not be done on a whim. It should be implemented with careful consideration and a professional’s opinion.
SOURCE:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide#fa-qs