Intermittent fasting also known as IF is a lifestyle change that is related to the time during which meals can be eaten. It works as switching between eating and fasting.
Overview
Many people are following IF plans to lose weight, and they are getting immediate results without causing the body to be deprived of nutrients
required for regular functioning.
Though IF was initially followed to lose stubborn weight without being stuck
to calorie deficit plans that are hard to follow, later many other
significant benefits were noticed and it became popular to get multiple health
benefits in the long run.
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| Stay away from cancer and live longer! |
Benefits achieved
by intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is now considered an easy yet helpful method of
providing health care results. A few of the main satisfactory outcomes are as
follows
- Visceral fat loss and weight management
- Stimulation of insulin
sensitivity
- Regulation of hormones
and genes
- Reduction of heart
health issues
- Reduction of oxidative
stress and inflammation
- Enhancement of cellular
repair processes
- Reduction of brain
health problems
- Reduction in arthritis
symptoms and pain management
- Prevention of certain
cancers
- Extension and
improvement of quality of life
- Control of autoimmune
disorders
Visceral fats and
weight management
The main problem faced while doing a calorie control diet is the loss of muscles which leads to muscle weakness and decreased efficacy. This muscle loss can affect sports persons negatively.
Visceral fat is the stubborn fat in the belly and it is
associated with several health problems.
The benefit of IF is weight control without causing muscle weakness and it
works on the fatty areas. Metabolic switching causes the catabolism of stored
glycogen and fatty acids and converts them into ready-to-use energy units.
It was studied and reported that IF can decrease 3-8 percent of
total body weight in a duration of a few months and it also
causes a reduction of the waist by about 3-7 percent which is
considered significant.
Increased metabolic rate and release of noradrenaline cause weight to be lost more quickly than the conventional calorie control method.
About the easiness and results, IF is considered a popular method among
people who want to look smarter and healthy.
Stimulation of
insulin sensitivity
As we have already discussed in our previous articles regarding
noncommunicable diseases, it is evident that type 2 diabetes is among
the top NCDs. The main reason for type 2 diabetes is the development of
insulin resistance which in turn causes blood glucose levels to surpass the
normal limit.
The management methods of type 2 diabetes are linked with a decrease in
blood glucose level and it is achieved by stimulation of insulin
sensitivity.
Human studies on diabetes and IF, show that IF has an amazing result in the
stimulation of insulin sensitivity. Diabetic people who have followed this diet
plan have noticed a 20-31 percent reduction in fasting insulin.
This protocol is especially beneficial for pre-diabetic people who
are at risk of getting diabetes. When a set of prediabetic
patients was observed for IF, they showed an overall reduction of 3-6
percent of fasting sugar.
These results were achieved in 8-12 weeks.
It was a fun fact that diabetes was controlled more effectively by IF
in male patients, and their insulin resistance was reduced
remarkably ,its reason requires further studies.
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| Intermittent fasting would help you manage diabetes. |
Regulation of
hormones and genes
When the body is in fasting mode, it undergoes a lot of changes that are
beneficial for the body. It affects hormone levels and works on gene levels, which can cause several effects.
These changes in hormone levels and expression of genes bring outcomes like
cellular repair processes, insulin sensitivity, and expression of disease control genes.
An example of such benefits is the enhanced release of human growth
hormone (HGH), which is linked with weight management, the repair of cells, and the maintenance of brain health. It also affects the skin and helps in a high
metabolic rate.
Activation of genes linked with health and high quality of life is also
triggered and the body works in an optimal state.
Reduction of heart
health issues
Heart health problems top the list of deaths by NCDs and the
risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases are high blood pressure,
blood triglycerides, and sugar levels.
IF is also linked with the Management of CVDs and helps in the decrease of
risk factors mentioned above.
Bad cholesterol also called LDL is the main concern for heart
health and it also clogs the arteries. IF has a remarkable effect on bad
cholesterol, it decreases the LDL and makes the arteries free and prevents
strokes & heart problems and also enhances the recovery rate of stroke
survivors.
Moreover, the reduction of high blood pressure levels also
helps to maintain heart health in optimal condition.
If cardiometabolic health markers are managed with IF, the risk of cardiovascular diseases is decreased to great extent and leads to a decrease in the incidence of deaths by NCDs as planned by WHO.
Reduction of
oxidative stress and inflammation
If we study the causes of aging and chronic diseases, we know that oxidative
stress is one of the leading factors. Oxidative stress affects the
body by releasing free radicals and these radicals react with
cells and genetic material and cause mutation.
IF helps in the reduction of these free radicals and alleviates oxidative
stress and makes the body resistant to it.
Moreover, IF helps the body work against inflammation and
leads to the prevention of diseases by decreasing the pro-inflammatory markers.
Enhancement of
cellular repair processes
When metabolic switching is activated, and our body releases noradrenaline,
it helps to trigger the waste removal process.
During fasting, this waste removal process works at a high rate (as the body is
not consuming energy on digestion) and helps the body to get rid of unsafe materials including dead and impaired cells. This process is termed
autophagy.
Autophagy is involved in the removal of unwanted proteins stored in cells.
These cells can lead to inflammation and many chronic conditions such as cancers. When dysfunctional protein content is stored inside
brain cells it causes nerve problems and eventually neurodegenerative disorders.
IF enhances autophagy and makes cells free of toxic materials and impaired cells are repaired at a high rate helping the body getting free of diseases.
Reduction of brain
health problems
Various studies on humans and animals have shown that IF works as a trigger
for metabolic processes that are beneficial for brain health.
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common diseases of the brain and it has
no protocol at the moment.
It can help brain cells prevent from undergoing severe disturbance and showing memory loss symptoms. It helps to keep the
patients in a healthy state and helps the people who are at risk by minimizing
the symptoms.
It is also helpful for other neurodegenerative diseases i.e. Huntington’s
and Parkinson’s diseases.
Moreover IF contributes to the increased production and release of
a brain hormone called a brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
Decreased production of BDNF is associated with several significant, brain
health problems, among which depression is the most common
example.
Reduction of
arthritis symptoms and pain management
People from arthritis in particular inflammatory arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis have found intermittent fasting supportive. They feel immense ease in the symptoms of arthritis.
The pain of arthritis is highly managed with IF and decreased
inflammation causes alleviation of other symptoms.
So if anyone in your circle is tired from arthritis and is in pain, he/
she should start IF after getting the go-ahead from their doctor.
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Staying strong on your feet is a blessing! |
Prevention of
certain cancers
Cancer is one of the most serious illnesses in real-time and it is like a silent disease. When the inflammatory markers are increased, they make the body prone to getting cancer.
Various projects are being conducted to study the effect of IF in the
prevention of cancers and scientists have found that IF decreases
oxidative stress and inflammation which is a key factor for cancer. It
also affects metabolic processes that help in the management
of cancer symptoms.
Moreover, IF has a remarkable effect in reducing the side effects caused
by chemotherapy which is a part of the cancer management regimen.
The IF keeps the body in a bit low energy state that leads to decreased
levels of inflammatory markers and ultimately helps in managing the symptoms.
Control of
autoimmune disorders
Our body gets positive for autoimmune disorders when the body works against its cells
and people suffering from AIDs are always in an inflammatory state. A high inflammation rate causes the symptoms to worsen and can induce another
disease as well.
A few examples of common autoimmune conditions are RA, Inflammatory
arthritis, Hashimoto thyroiditis, type 2 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel
diseases.
Patients with these conditions experience positive changes in their symptoms
after following the IF schedule and it is now being considered a part
of autoimmune disorders management plans.
Extension and
improvement of quality of life
Increased autophagy, decreased inflammation, reduced oxidative stress, the
release of growth hormones, and high metabolic rate, are the factors that
contribute to keeping the body healthy and removing infections.
A study on mice has shown an increase in the life span of
those mice which were undergone IF.
As we frankly discuss the results, the wish deep inside every human being is
to have a longer healthy life. Intermittent fasting schedules
are making it easier to achieve.
Take-home message
If we summarize the whole article, we can know that high inflammation,
oxidative stress, obesity, high blood sugar levels, insulin insensitivity, and
high bad cholesterol levels are a few of the main risk factors that decide the
fate of a person getting a certain disease or group of diseases.
If we manage these factors, we may be able to get over these health
problems, and IF is one of the most influential methods to keep these risk
factors at arm’s length.
If we give the body a break from digestive functions, that energy is used to neutralize the proinflammatory markers and when we keep on practicing the
schedule of IF that suits us best, we may live the healthy, disease-free life and
even longer life we all dream of.
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| Burn fat, look smarter, and stay healthy! |
You can read out the episodes related to this topic by clicking on the tag Intermittent fasting and Health refinement.
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