Every week I get several emails from people who call my advice to skip breakfast every now and then absurd . According to them, this practice is harmful to health and represents a missed opportunity to speed up his metabolism.
In this article, you will find that scientific research disproves these beliefs. You might be amazed at the countless benefits of intermittent fasting (or fasting ).
Here is what you will learn there:
What is intermittent fasting
The 9 benefits of fasting
What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent or fasting is not a diet . He does not prescribe what to eat, but when to eat. It's about deliberately fasting during certain times and eating only at certain times of the day. The fasting period always lasts longer than the period during which you can eat.
In addition to helping you lose weight, intermittent fasting has benefits for your body and brain. It can even help you live longer! Many intermittent fasting benefits are explained by the increased production of human growth hormone (Human Growth Hormone - HGH) and improved insulin sensitivity.
Whichever method is chosen, the day or week is divided into periods of fasting and periods of feeding.
Are You Making These Avoidable Mistakes That Slow Weight Loss?
When they hear about intermittent fasting for the first time, many people do not fully grasp or believe in the concept. This goes against what they have always heard:
Losing weight is more difficult when you do not eat breakfast, essential to trigger the metabolism
You have to eat 5 to 6 small meals a day so that the metabolism continues to work and does not slow down
If you don't eat your body will draw on protein and you will lose muscle mass
If you fast your body will go into survival / economy mode
The point is, all of these claims are just stubborn myths . Let's go through them one by one to disentangle the true from the false.
Do you want an example of a slimming menu, along with the recipes and the shopping list? Click here
Intermittent fasting:
In recent years, intermittent fasting has become a real fashion. What is certain is that for the fitness and bodybuilding world, the fasting diet is the best way to lose fat and stimulate muscle growth .
However, fasting is nothing new. In fact, it is a normal way of eating for our body. Over the past few decades we have become less and less active and food has become available everywhere, all the time. We have “unlearned” the fast.
In the past, most people had physical labor. Today most of us work in the service industry, sitting at a desk.
As for food, it is available 24 hours a day, wherever you are.
You will always find something to eat in the vending machines at train stations, in gas stations open 24 hours a day, and if you live in a big city, in stores open at night. We are never forced to be hungry.
Eating in the street has become normal. Just take a look at the number of people eating on any busy shopping street. At the start of the last century, this was simply unthinkable. We only ate at home.
Due to the lack of physical activity and the abundance of food, insulin resistance has become a huge public health problem. Insulin resistance is the basis of many health problems such as type 2 diabetes, according to a large number of doctors.
Our modern way of life does not correspond at all to our genes, which are adapted to the mode of food and the way of life that we knew at the end of the Paleolithic (50,000-10,000 years ago).
At the end of the Paleolithic era, we developed to survive in an environment marked by large fluctuations between periods of food availability and periods of forced fasting.
It is believed that these fluctuations are still necessary for us for an optimal metabolism. Intermittent fasting involves mimicking the way our distant ancestors ate.
One hypothesis is that prehistoric men did not eat in the morning. They first had to go hunting to get something to eat or find edible food of plant origin.
It is assumed that they did not return from the hunt until the end of the afternoon, after which they ate together.
We find this food pattern in the forms of intermittent fasting which consist in skipping breakfast and not eating the first meal of the day until the end of the afternoon.
This type of fast is sometimes associated with a physical activity session at the end of the fasting period, which simulates hunting.
Another guess is that in prehistoric times people often returned empty-handed from hunting, so sometimes they had to go several days without eating while waiting for the hunt to be good. There are intermittent fasting methods that mimic this eating pattern. These methods consist of not eating for one or two days of the week and eating normally the rest of the week.
There is a diet based on the diet of prehistoric men: the paleo diet. The paleo diet consists of eating the same foods as prehistoric men while with intermittent fasting, it involves eating with the same frequency as prehistoric men.
Intermittent fasting does not prescribe specific foods, but it is advisable to eat as healthy as possible. You can imagine that you will be well advanced if, once your fasting period is over, you go order a kebab and fries washed down with a milkshake.
In some cultures, fasting is a normal practice. Just think of Ramadan, a month-long period in which Muslims around the world fast between sunrise and sunset.
The effects of intermittent fasting on health
In addition to supporting weight loss, intermittent fasting has a number of health benefits.
Health benefit # 1: weight loss and abdominal fat loss
Your weight plays a big role in your health. Want to know if you are at a healthy weight? One way to find out is to calculate your BMI .
Intermittent fasting is ideal for shedding extra pounds. This is because it allows to induce a significant negative energy balance.
Calories consumed
On the one hand, skipping one or more meals reduces the number of calories you consume.
Calories expended
On the other hand, you burn more calories thanks to an acceleration of your metabolism of up to 14%.
Intermittent fasting will allow you to significantly lower your insulin levels ( source ). An asset if you want to lose weight or even prevent type 2 diabetes.
Study shows that you can lose 3% to 8% of your weight over a period of 3 to 24 weeks ( source ). This same study found a decrease in participants' waistlines of 4% to 7% , indicating loss of abdominal fat.
Health benefit # 2: Repair of cells and genes
When we eat often, the body continually needs energy for digestion.
When fasting, the body can concentrate its energy on other tasks and thus work on cell restoration by eliminating the waste present in the cells.
Research sheds light on the positive impact of fasting on different genes and molecules involved in longevity and protection against disease.
Health benefits n ° 3: Reduction of oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory effect
Oxidative stress is one of the factors responsible for the aging process and many chronic diseases. Free radicals damage all parts of the cell, including DNA, proteins and lipids.
Oxidative stress is often the result of obesity, low blood sugar, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption. Medication, intense exercise, and excessive sun exposure can also cause oxidative stress.
Intermittent fasting improves the body's resistance to oxidative stress.
In addition, intermittent fasting helps reduce inflammation , which is also the basis of many chronic diseases.
Health Benefit # 4: Reduced Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
Health organizations consider type 2 diabetes a pandemic of great threat to public health in the 21st century.
Each year, 1.5 million people worldwide die from the consequences of type 2 diabetes.
The increase in blood sugar and insulin resistance contribute significantly to the development of type 2 diabetes.
Intermittent fasting can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes.
This is because intermittent fasting helps lower both blood sugar and insulin resistance.
Health Benefits # 5: Reduced Risk of Cancer and Alzheimer's Disease
Cells sometimes break down, much like the components of a computer. Cells are able to break down damaged parts and recycle them themselves. This process is called autophagy .
Fasting allows the autophagy process to start, through which damaged cells can repair themselves.
Stimulating autophagy allows increased protection against various diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
While more research on humans is needed, animal studies show that intermittent fasting can prevent cancer .
A non-exhaustive study of people with Alzheimer's disease showed improvement in symptoms when fasting .
Health benefit # 6: Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
High blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, increased inflammation, and increased blood sugar all share with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Thanks to intermittent fasting, we can control all of these risk factors .
Health benefit n ° 7: Improved brain functions
Intermittent fasting can promote the growth of new nerve cells, beneficial to brain functions.
Intermittent fasting also promotes the production of Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor, also known as BDNF (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor).
BDNF is important for the formation of new synapses, for memory and learning.
Health benefit # 8: Anti-aging effects
Due to its anti-aging effects, intermittent fasting is also popular among those who strive to live as long as possible.
Dramatic results were seen in rats fasted every other day. Fasted every other day, rats live 83% longer.
Calorie restriction is proven to be an effective method of increasing lifespan. Studies (conducted on rats) show results as positive with intermittent fasting as with calorie restriction.
The effectiveness of intermittent fasting in prolonging human lifespan has not yet been proven. However, the positive influence of fasting on all health markers (such as cholesterol, inflammation, oxidative stress) and animal testing points in this direction.
Health benefit # 9: More endurance and faster recovery
In men, fasting can increase the level of human growth hormone (hGH) by 2000% and in women, by 1300%.
Increased secretion of human growth hormone leads to greater endurance and better post-exercise recovery.
Intermittent fasting review
We can of course count on the internet to consult the opinions of people who have practiced intermittent fasting. How was their experience? How did they feel? Have they seen results?
Personally, I know that intermittent fasting has a positive impact on my health, but it's always good to have confirmation. Here is a small selection from the many reviews and testimonials I found online:
“… The first week was tough, but the constant rumbling in my stomach quickly went away. I feel much healthier now… ”
"… During my feeding period, I can now eat anything without feeling guilty…"
“… Since I can't eat during the fasting period, I don't think about eating. It's really relaxing… ”
"… My cholesterol has dropped so much that I can stop the drugs…"
“… I do a month of intermittent fasting to dry off. It works much better for me than all the methods I have tried so far ... "
"… I train during the fasting period and surprisingly enough, instead of running out of energy, I have a lot more…"
“… I went from 6 to 2 meals a day. I saved a lot of time… ”
“… Since starting intermittent fasting, I sleep better and have more strength and energy throughout the day. I love it… ”
Comments