How Effective is Intermittent Fasting
Weight loss is a prevalent topic among Americans whether it may be for pressure from society to look a specific way or for health reasons. Either way, people are trying to find a safe, easy, and sufficient technique to lose a couple of pounds in a short period of time. A type of diet that has risen in popularity over the past year is called intermittent fasting, which introduces the concept of cycling between fasting and eating and revealing the importance behind when you eat instead of what you eat. Intermittent fasting is most effective when individuals eat during specific periods of time that is typically within an eight to ten hour window. According to Michigan Medicine dietitian Sue Ryskamp, “when our insulin levels go down far enough and for long enough, as they do during a fasting period, we’re able to burn off fat.” This principle is vital for the success of intermittent fasting. Since insulin levels drop when a person is not eating food, it causes cells to release their stored glucose to use as energy. By setting periods of time where you can eat and repeating this method regularly, it will allow for the consumption of fewer calories, leading to a loss of weight.
The food that is consumed is broken down by enzymes and ends up in our bloodstream as molecules. Carbohydrates are broken down into sugars that our cells use for energy for the body. If the cells do not use the sugars, it will store it as fat in the cells, so it can be used at a later time. Insulin can bring sugar into the fat cells and store it there, but sugar is only able to enter our cells if it is within insulin. If you stick to intermittent fasting and do eat past the time zones you set, your insulin levels will go down and the fat cells can release the stored sugar to be used as the energy, leading to weight loss. So, the fundamental idea behind the effectiveness of intermittent fasting is allowing your body’s insulin levels to go down to a certain level for a certain period of time to burn off fat.
The diet works best when you set times to stop eating and avoid eating at nighttime. The most common period of time that people set their intermittent fasting is between 10 am and 6 pm, however, this can differ between each person depending on their lifestyle. This can be the most effective fasting time window because fat burning is able to start after 12 hours of fasting and increases with each hour. With intermittent fasting, it is very important to not stop eating altogether. Instead, you should continue with a regular diet to get the same amount of nutrients, fats, and proteins for each day. It may be difficult to enforce for a few days, but it helps you become more aware of what you are consuming daily and can change your daily diet plan.
Before starting a new diet, it is imperative to learn about the pros and cons that come along with it. Not only is intermittent fasting a good way to lose weight if you are struggling to lose it and willing to put time into changing your diet, but it also helps with slowing the aging process, lowers blood pressure, and reduces cholesterol. Adding in exercise with intermittent fasting improves the results at a fast pace. It will also possibly result in reduced liver fat, increased endurance, repairs to the gastrointestinal tract to rest and repair, better motor coordination, and improved sleep. According to a study conducted at Harvard, eating according to your circadian rhythm will help with deep sleep, which means you should eat during the day and sleep at night. Additionally, other studies have shown that fasting can increase the lifespan of healthy humans, help with caloric restriction, and reduce tumor growth. Finally, when changing your diet plan, it is important to stick with it in order to see results. Be patient and keep strict restrictions to improve your health in the long run. Before making any changes, it is also important to consult your physician or dietitian.
References:
https://healthblog.uofmhealth.org/wellness-prevention/intermittent-fasting-it-right-for-you
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/23/style/self-care/intermittent-fasting-benefits.html
