The prevalence of obesity and overweight is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. Losing weight and improving body composition (decreasing body fat and increasing muscle mass) through physical activity, dietary guidelines, and certain modifications will help address obesity-related problems. While daily caloric restriction is the most common form of dietary restriction, other methods are emerging. An alternative method of calorie restriction is intermittent fasting, a broad term that includes many specific fasting protocols. Ideally, intermittent fasting comes alongside intermittent fasting. These programs usually lead to energy restriction, which is only sometimes maintained daily.
WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING?
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern with periodic feasting and periods of fasting, which helps treat obesity and reverse many of its comorbidities. Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular health and fitness trends in the world. Intermittent fasting diets are now gaining popularity as they help in significant weight loss.
Intermittent fasting is comprehensive and includes several programs to help manipulate the timing of binge eating using short-term fasts to improve body composition and overall health.
Several intermittent fasting protocols have gained popularity and boast impressive anecdotal health benefits. However, it is unlikely that all intermittent fasting regimens lead to the same physiological changes given the different fasting and feeding patterns.
WHY FASTING?
The practice of intermittent fasting that restricts food consumption during the day can enforce circadian biology to improve the body’s metabolic health. It has been practiced since ancient times by people all over the world. Books on ethnology and religion describe various forms and practices of fasting.
Evidence is accumulating that eating for 6 hours and fasting for 18 hours can induce a metabolic shift from glucose-based energy to ketone-based energy, that is, stored fat is used as an energy source, with increased resistance to stress, endurance and reduced prevalence of diseases, including cancer and obesity;
According to studies, changes in the composition and metabolic function of the gut microbiota in obese individuals may allow an “obese microbiota” to gather more energy from the diet compared to a “lean microbiota”, thereby affecting net energy absorption , the expense. and storage. Furthermore, obesity-associated transformations in the gut microbiota can alter gut permeability and bacterial translocation to promote systemic inflammation, a hallmark of obesity and obesity-related diseases.
Modified fasting regimens will aid in weight loss and may improve metabolic health. However, there is insufficient data to determine the optimal fasting regimen, for example, the length of fasting gaps, the number of “fasting” days per week, the energy restriction required on fasting days, and eating behavior on non-fasting days.
Several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that dietary patterns that eliminate nighttime eating and extended nighttime fasting intervals could improve human health and help maintain FBS levels. Prolonged overnight fasting may be a simple, feasible, and potentially effective disease prevention strategy.
TYPES OF INTERMITTENT FASTING
There are many different ways to do IF, and that’s great. If you are interested in doing this, approaching this type of fasting will help with weight loss, lifestyle change and NCD prevention. Here are seven:
1. 5:2 fasting
It is one of the most popular IF methods. In this type of fasting, a person must eat five days a week without counting calories. on the other two days, they must take meager calories, i.e. 500 kcal, ideal for men and women.
2. Time-limited Fasting
You can choose an eating window each day, ideally leaving a 14 to 16 hour fasting period. Fasting promotes autophagy, which helps clear the body of waste and use stored glycogen as an energy source.
3. Overnight fasting
This type of fasting is the simplest way to fast for up to 12 hours a day, ideally starting with dinner at 7pm, continuing until 7.00am. the breakfast in the morning. Autophagy still occurs at the 12 hour mark, although you will get milder cellular benefits.
4. Eat Stop Eating
This type of fasting emphasizes taking a break from eating, which is ideally completed two days out of the week.
5. All-day fasting
In this type, you eat one meal a day. Some people choose to eat dinner and then only eat dinner the next day with an all-day fast.
If it’s for weight loss, the advantage of fasting all day is that it’s difficult (though possible) to eat a day’s worth of calories in one meal.
6. Alternative Fasting
It is one of the popular approaches to weight loss. You can start with 1 day of eating and another day of fasting for 24 hours (1-0-1). The research found that by doing this in overweight adults, intermittent fasting helped reduce BMI, weight, fat mass and total cholesterol.
7. Choose fasting
It’s more of a choose-your-own-adventure approach to IF. You can fast for a limited time (fast for 16 hours or 24 hours) every other day or once or twice a week,
*Something to remember: Researchers say that skipping breakfast has no significant effect on weight loss, so skipping breakfast may not be the ideal way to lose weight.
BENEFITS AGAINST INTERMITTENT FASTING
ADVANTAGES:
There have been many studies on intermittent fasting in both animals and humans. According to these studies, IF may benefit weight loss and improve brain health.
· Weight loss: As mentioned above, it will help you lose weight and belly fat without reducing your calorie intake.
· Insulin resistance: Fasting can help reduce insulin resistance. It helps lower blood sugar and fasting insulin levels, which should protect and prevent type 2 diabetes.
· Inflammation: Some research shows reductions in markers of inflammation (CRP), a critical factor in chronic disease.
· Heart health: It can lower LDL cholesterol, blood triglycerides, markers of inflammation, blood sugar levels, and insulin levels. All of these are risk factors for developing heart disease.
· Cancer: Some studies have shown that the risk of cancer can be reduced by alternate day fasting, slowing the spread of cancer cells, limiting the growth of lymphoma and reducing tumor survival
· Brain health: Fasting increases the hormone calcineurin in the brain and also helps grow new nerve cells. It can also protect and prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease
Disadvantages:
1. Intermittent fasting requires you to go a set period of time without food. You can eat a required amount of calories in a specific window and repeat to create a calorie deficit chart. This extended period of zero calorie consumption can be problematic in the long run due to low energy levels, cravings, habits, and the lack of discipline required to stick to the specific time frames of intermittent fasting.
2. Intermittent fasting is also difficult to maintain long-term because of the self-control required. Both aspects of intermittent fasting, the fasting and the eating window, can be challenging.
3. The majority of our social interactions happen over food and drink. When fasting, you must either have the willpower not to indulge or find alternatives to continue to have a social life without breaking your fast.
4. Those who already lead an active lifestyle or are thinner before starting intermittent fasting may suffer from hormonal imbalances.
5. Women who do intermittent fasting will have insomnia, irregular cycles, stress and thyroid problems.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR INTERMITTENT FASTING
1. Fasting for 24 hours leads to dizziness, lack of concentration and loss of energy. better avoided.
2. Maintain a well-balanced, healthy diet during your eating periods. To feel fuller, include complex carbohydrates like brown rice, lean protein, and fruits and vegetables. Watch how much food you eat during eating periods (don’t overeat).
3. Stay hydrated by drinking at least 8 cups of water daily (equivalent to at least two liters). Water is allowed during fasting.
4. Don’t overexert yourself when fasting (especially during exercise)
5. If you feel unwell, stop the fast and seek medical help.
WHO SHOULD NOT DO INTERMITTENT FASTING
· Pregnant or lactating women
· Patients with kidney problems.
· Patients with liver cirrhosis
· Patients with medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes who are taking medication should seek medical advice prior to rapid execution.
· People with low blood pressure
· People with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.
· People with a low BMI (underweight)
