[LifeStyle] What happens if you fast intermittently?

[#Steeven.™]

Intermittent fasting is a voluntary abstinence from food and beverages, except water, infusions or coffee alone.

Fasting is totally or partially abstaining from eating or drinking. It can be in a natural way, from twelve o'clock in the preceding night —which gives rise to breakfast—, but also by religious precept. Additionally, dietary guidelines that include periods of voluntary fasting have become po[CENSORED]r in recent years.

Fasting diets focus primarily on when you can eat. There are many different fasting diets, sometimes called "intermittent fasting."

In time-restricted eating, you can eat every day, but only for a limited number of hours. Therefore, you can only eat six to eight hours each day. For example, you can have breakfast and lunch, but skip dinner. On alternate day fasting, you can eat every other day and no or very few calories on the days in between. Another type restricts calories during the week, but not on the weekends.

The Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN) defines different formulas for intermittent breakfast:

• Daily frequency: at least 12 hours of fasting, the best-known pattern being 8/16, that is, fasting 16 hours in which 8 hours of sleep are included. The most common feeding window is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Weekly frequency: one or two days a week. The most po[CENSORED]r is the 5/2 diet, eating normal five days a week, accompanied by a severe reduction in intake the next two.
• Monthly frequency: fast a couple of days in a row every month. Less frequent.

 

To lose weight

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicate that for many people, the main reason to try fasting is to lose weight. Today, most people try to lose weight by restricting the number of calories they eat each day.

Intermittent fasting diets are more of an eating program than a "diet", so maintaining weight loss will depend on how well the person adapts to that pattern in the long term, British nutritionist Kerry Torrens tells the BBC.

There are different patterns of intermittent fasting diets, and according to Torrens, no matter what the specific pattern is, the important thing is that for these diets to be safe, effective and healthy, the food consumed must have great nutritional value.

The specialist recommends including essential and healthy fats such as fish, nuts and seeds, lean sources of protein, whole grains and many vegetables and vegetables to supply all the necessary fiber, vitamins and minerals.

 

Fasting at specific times

Intermittent fasting is a voluntary abstinence from food and beverages - except water, infusions or coffee alone - in specific and recurring periods and depends on the lifestyle and tolerance of each person.

“It is not about stopping eating, but about doing it at specific times. For example, fasts of 12 or 16 hours during the night ”, Vanessa Martín, nutritionist at OBSalud of Spain, tells Europa Press. “Nor is it necessary to do it every day. It can be done two or three days a week or on alternate days, ”she adds.

The nutritionist assures that the benefits of this practice are many: apart from helping in weight loss, it improves glucose regulation and insulin sensitivity, blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, it increases the effectiveness of resistance training.

"We must add to the arguments in favor that intermittent fasting directly influences the improvement of the intestinal microbiota (flora), which is essential to increase the body's defenses and immune response to viral and infectious processes", emphasizes Martín. "There are even bacteria in saliva that change with the timing of meals, have an impact on the gut, and are linked to inflammatory bowel diseases," she adds.

 

It is not necessarily for everyone

The SEEN details, based on studies, that intermittent fasting could provide health benefits, to a greater extent than can be attributed to the reduction of caloric intake, “improving obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and reducing markers of systemic inflammation and oxidative stress that are associated with atherosclerosis ”.

But Valter Longo, an NIH-funded longevity researcher at the University of Southern California, cautions that there is still a lot we don't know. For some, fasting can cause problems. For example, he notes that studies have found that people who regularly fast more than 16 to 18 hours a day have a higher risk of gallstones. Also, they are more likely to need surgery to remove the gallbladder.

Longo explains that eating for 12 hours and then fasting for 12 hours is safe for most people. "This eating pattern is very common among people who have recorded their longevity," he says. "It seems to coincide with science and tradition."

However, it is cautioned that if you are considering fasting, first speak with your healthcare provider. People with certain diseases or who are taking certain medications should not attempt fasting at all.

Intermittent fasting is discouraged for people with eating disorders, stress, or anxiety. In addition, according to SEEN, this intermittent fasting could cause some side effects such as headache, dizziness or lack of concentration.