Metabolic

Doctor’s Order: Intermittent Fasting May Slowly Improve Metabolic Problems | health and fitness

Almost a decade ago I visited my functional medicine PA at Freedom Healthcare and there were some worrying results in my blood count.

I found that I had elevated blood sugar which, if not controlled, was on the way to prediabetes. That was a shock to me! I thought I was healthy; I ate well and exercised regularly so this came as a surprise to me. After hearing this, I set out to reverse my symptoms and figure out how best to eat for myself.

In my research, I have dealt with Intermittent Fasting (IF). Note: I am not a doctor. I’m just presenting what the current research says about intermittent fasting and my personal path with it.

The idea behind intermittent fasting is that you have fixed times to eat and times to fast, in a day or within a week. The three main types of IF are full fasting on the other days, modified fasting schedules, and time-limited feeding. Alternate-day fasting consists of alternating days of fasting. Here you fast a whole day – one or two days a week. With the modified fasting cure, you will consume 20 to 25% of your energy requirements on planned fasting days. This is the basis of the popular “5: 2 diet”, in which you restrict heavily on two non-consecutive days, only eat 500-600 calories on those days and eat as you like on the other five days of the week. With limited-time fasting, one would eat within a certain time frame of one day.

Research shows some interesting trends in the results of these types of diets. Looking at a meta-analysis of the data for fasting on other days, this type of diet suggests that one could achieve modest weight loss and improve some metabolic problems (e.g., type 2 diabetes). For modified fasts, research shows some promising benefits, including weight loss (from 3.5% to 8.0%), with modest effects on glucose markers, lipids, and markers of inflammation.

With time-limited feeding, research finds that reaching at least 16 hours between feedings has benefits on weight and glucose markers. Overall, it has been shown that both intermittent fasting and periodic fasting promote age-related diseases (diabetes, heart disease, various types of cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and stroke, weight loss, insulin resistance, reduction of oxidative stress, improvement in cognition, anti-inflammatory effects the gut biome and is beneficial for mitochondrial health.

Intermittent fasting can be a promising approach to losing weight and improving metabolic health for people who can handle intervals when they don’t eat or eat very little for certain hours or certain days of the week. This could have great public health benefits as it is easy to do and does not require additional money on diet program fees. There are quite a few apps out there to help people track their intermittent fasting journeys. Some are free and others are paid and can be helpful with keeping track of times and foods. Search for “Intermittent Fasting” in the App Store and you can choose from there.

I started intermittent fasting about eight years ago. In general, 16 hours elapse between dinner and breakfast the next day. For me, IF has completely changed my blood counts over time. My insulin, leptin and C-reactive proteins all decreased significantly and I was able to get out of the dangerous areas. I don’t do it for weight loss in itself, but for what it does internally for my body. I had to stop IF with every pregnancy, but could start again after my babies were born. It’s a lifestyle for me that has been found to be helpful.

If you have similar health issues, speak to your doctor about trying IF and it may prove helpful to you.

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