There is increasing medical evidence. Time-limited feeding has gained more supporters who are publicly promoting it.
Celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, entrepreneur James Swanwick, Ingrid de la Mare Kenny, comedian Joe Rogan and Mindy Kaling are all intermittent. It is known to fast (16/8 type).
Studies published in influential scientific journals show the short-term benefits of 16/8, 5/2, 72 hours (3 days), and even 5 days faster. There are no data on long-term benefits for humans yet.
Meanwhile, a detailed review of the recently published science of intermittent fasting New England Journal of Medicine Shed some light. Researchers have combined dozens of animal and human studies to explain how simple fasting improves metabolism, lowers blood sugar levels, and reduces inflammation (health problems from joint pain to asthma). Improve range). It also helps remove toxins and damaged cells, lowers the risk of cancer and enhances brain function.
Many studies on animals and humans have shown that intermittent fasting leads to the following benefits, at least in the short term:
> Improve glucose tolerance.
> Lowers blood sugar (due to improved glucose tolerance).
> Improves blood joy / resting heart rate.
> Stimulates cell division without mutation or formation of cancer cells.
Image Credit: Seyyed dela Llata / Gulf News
What are the benefits of intermittent fasting?
Fasting helps burn liver fat through a process called “glycogenolysis,” explains Dr. Samir Ramani, a UK-trained weight loss surgery expert.
In medicine, fasting is considered a form of “detoxification” and stimulates cell division without mutations or the formation of cancer cells.
Another benefit: It is also known to stimulate the formation of bone marrow stem cells and help lysosomes remove toxins from the cells.
Short-term studies published in the journal Cell metabolism Shows that early time-limited feeding improves insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress, even in the absence of weight loss in men with “prediabetes.”
Image Credit: Seyyed dela Llata / Gulf News
What happens if I fast?
In a nutshell, fasting changes your “hormonal axis,” said a Dubai-based expert.
“In general, fasting improves glucose tolerance,” said Dr. Samir Rahamani, a British-trained surgeon responsible for laparoscopic and laparoscopic surgery at Novomed Center Dubai.
“If you have impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, prediabetes, and all these sequelae, it’s important. [the consequence of a previous disease or injury].. And that’s why toxin excretion changes your “hormonal axis,” primarily intestinal hormones, “he added.
Why is fasting known as “anti-inflammatory”?
Dr. Ramani said Gulf news: “Fasting creates an anti-inflammatory condition. Our body is a balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory conditions. Changing this equation will increase or decrease inflammation.
“Fasting strengthens the defenses and puts them in an anti-inflammatory state. Toxins, insects, bacteria, trauma, stress, and anything else that causes inflammation in the body can be balanced by improving the anti-inflammatory state by fasting. . “
He added: “And if you do this powerfully in surgery, it is sometimes achieved. For example, if you want to bypass and change the” plumbing “of the intestines. This is primarily to achieve a fasting condition. “
Dr. Ramani, a surgeon trained in the United Kingdom, fasts for 72 hours (3 days). He has performed metabolic and weight loss surgery on more than 4,500 patients in his career.
How does fasting help the body get rid of toxins?
Dr. Rahmani said: “Fasting is a process called glycogenolysis that improves glucose tolerance, eliminates toxins from the body and burns fat in the liver. It divides the fat that accumulates in the liver. This is the first step in fasting. . “
“You actually kill the aged cells of your body by not having energy. Small young cells do not wait for fat to burn in the liver. Instead, they are your arms, the omentum. , Or get energy from the back. Unlike young cells, which can survive during fasting, aged cells die quickly. “
How do these aged cells die?
Obviously, there are many toxins in aged cells.
“Toxins are produced by every cell and every person. They are by-products. Like when we eat, our bodies absorb nutrients, have by-products, and push them out. [through excretion].. The same is true for cells.
“There is cell metabolism, and cells benefit from energy (supplied) such as ATP. [adenosine triphosphate, a substance found in cells that provides energy for metabolic processes] — And the by-product becomes a toxin. Over time, cells will carry many toxins. We need to expel it. But under normal circumstances it cannot be kicked out. That is why fasting is important because aged abnormal and bad cells are very sensitive to short-term fasting. They die soon. They lack tolerance to resist lack of energy. “
Glycogenolysis
■ Glycogen (a storage of carbohydrates in the body) is a biochemical pathway that breaks down glucose-1-phosphate and glucose.
■ Reactions occur in hepatocytes (hepatocytes) and muscle cells (muscle cells).
■ This process is under the control of two important enzymes: phosphorylase kinase and glycogen phosphorylase.
What happens if I keep fasting?
“If you continue to fast, it (glycogenolysis) moves to adipose tissue … the tissue in the rest of your body,” says Dr. Rahmani. [basically, connective tissues consisting mainly of fat cells].. “
Adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction is clearly associated with the development of important medical conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and non-alcoholic fatty liver.
Does fasting help improve diabetes?
Fasting is ineffective for type 1 diabetes, or insulin-dependent diabetes, and Dr. Rahmani added that he would fast for non-insulin-dependent diabetes (or type 2). “this [the effectiveness] It depends on the type or subtype of type 2 diabetes or non-insulin dependent diabetes. Is it due to insulin resistance, weight gain, or the pancreas producing antibodies?
“In general, high insulin resistance or body mass index (BMI) will benefit from intermittent fasting. Most importantly, it lowers blood glucose. HbA1C is a snap of average blood glucose. It’s a shot. The last 90 days.
“If you drop it [the sugar level] IF less than 6 [intermittent fasting], And when you lose weight, you will be healthy.Because healthy people have an average HbA1c [sugar level] Therefore, it actually cures diabetes. This is for type 2 diabetes or non-insulin dependent diabetes. “
415m
Number of diabetics worldwide (Source: CDC)
What are the drawbacks of intermittent fasting?
This is a trendy weight loss plan and is considered an effective antidote for things like type 2 diabetes and hypercholesterolemia, but some experts say it should be avoided.
Through an intermittent fast, it puts your body in a highly stressed situation when it is not consuming a “familiar” amount of food.
Experts warn that this causes more stress that can strain your nervous system and can lead to fatigue, burnout, low energy, hypothermia, and diminished hormonal function. increase.
Studies have shown that intermittent fasting can lead to short-term weight loss, according to Dr. Rahmani, but the long-term effects of limiting calories in this way are still fully understood. Is not …
How does fasting reduce insulin resistance?
Studies have shown that fasting generally reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that affects approximately 415 million people worldwide. Without intervention, that number could grow to over 500 million in 10 years.
Type 2 diabetes (DM) has two important characteristics: hyperglycemia and insulin resistance.
In general, anything that reduces insulin resistance should help lower blood sugar levels and protect against type 2 diabetes. This can be of great help intermittently, showing the main benefits of insulin resistance and leading to lower blood sugar levels.
Recent Fasting Studies:
> The 2020 randomized trial enrolled people who followed the 16/8 method (fasting 16 hours a day and having an 8 hour time frame for a healthy diet).
> Those who fasted did not lose much more weight than those who ate three times a day. However, a subset of participants tested directly by researchers showed that fasted people lost a significant amount of lean body mass. This included lean muscle.
> According to a 2014 scientific literature review, intermittent fasting can cause 3-8% weight loss in 3-24 weeks.
> Study participants also lost 4-7% of waist circumference in 6-24 weeks. This indicates that you have lost visceral fat, the harmful fat that causes illness in the abdominal cavity.
> A 2011 review also showed that intermittent fasting causes less muscle loss than continuous calorie restriction.
In a human study of intermittent fasting, fasting blood glucose levels in people with prediabetes decreased by 3-6% between 8-12 weeks. Fasting insulin decreased by 20-31%. A study of diabetic mice also showed that intermittent fasting improves survival and protects against diabetic retinopathy, a complication that can lead to blindness. This shows that intermittent fasting can greatly protect people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Why do you need to fast intermittently?
“We do that for three main reasons,” said Dr. Rahmani. “(A) We need to lose extra weight. Anyone who can lose 20 kg or 50 kg of extra weight is good in a conservative or natural way. (B) People When you need to maintain weight. That’s not necessary. (C) By doing A & B, by default, they improve their health or have a morbid state (diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.). Cure.
“A person who weighs 100 kg and is 160 cm tall is 40 kg overweight. If you can lose 30 kg by fasting, dieting, and exercising, [surgical] intervention. They also need to maintain it. Therefore, if a person on a ketogenic diet loses 10 kg on a “rebound” and regains 20 kg, it will not work. I don’t believe in the ketogenic diet. “
Does fasting improve your skin?
Eventually it will. However, this is not the case during the fasting period.
Fasting: Evolutionary View
The main idea is this: fasting is “evolutionary”. It is embedded in our physiology. When we fast, it causes some important cellular functions. Therefore, “switching” from eating to fasting does more than just help burn calories and lose weight.
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Dr. Inaam Faiq, Ph.D., a general practitioner, aesthetic specialist and member of the American Academy of Antiaging Medicine at CosmeSurge Jumeirah, said: Today, you hear many celebrities who are fasting intermittently and declare that they are healthier, more energetic, and losing weight. “
What is a Circadian Rhythm Diet?
The circadian rhythm diet, also known as the body clock diet, is a type of diet plan with a time limit for eating in sync with this internal clock. “This means fasting for the remaining 12 hours or more each day within a 12-hour time frame during the day. Some people limit their diet to 6-8 hours,” Dr. Faiq said. increase.
She encourages people to “work for them and use a sustainable dietary approach.”
Words of caution
Experts say that with all things in mind, intermittent fasting can be a powerful weight loss tool. Reducing calories slightly increases metabolism and makes it an effective tool for visceral fat.
Experts can monitor those with advanced diabetes, those taking diabetes medications, those with a history of eating disorders such as loss of appetite and bulimia nervosa, and pregnant or breastfeeding women. I warn you that you should not try intermittent fasting unless you are under supervision.
Before you start an intermittent fast, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor or dietitian to make sure you’re doing it right.
