Fasting, which is the deliberate restriction of food and water intake, has been practiced worldwide since prehistoric times. However, in recent years low, calorie diet, such as intermittent fasting, has become increasingly popular as a means of losing extra weight.
As a basic concept, intermittent fasting is a diet plan in which you alternate between fasting and regular, unrestricted eating periods. Many variations of this eating plan recommend consuming all of your daily calories within a small window of time, usually between 6 and 8 hours.
According to data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2015 and 2018, around 17.1 percent of persons aged 20 and above followed a special diet. Of that number, around 24 percent have tried intermittent fasting to shed extra pounds.
Intermittent fasting is typically used to aid weight loss but has numerous other potential health benefits. Considering its universal popularity, how effective is the intermittent fasting method? This article will explore the benefits of an intermittent fasting diet and see if they actually hold any weight.
The Rules of Intermittent Fasting
The intermittent diet is only effective if you stick to a strict meal schedule. However, you might need to remember to drink water when fasting since you aren’t consuming any food.
So, you must drink enough water while fasting. Avoid sugary beverages like diet sodas since they may contribute to dehydration. Dizziness, headache, confusion, weakness, lightheadedness, and even life-threatening conditions have all been linked to dehydration.
The focus of intermittent fasting is on the timing of meals and not the kind of food you should eat. The three most common types of intermittent fasting include the Alternate-day fast, the 5-2 fast, and the Time-restricted fasting.
In alternate-day fasting, you usually eat one day and then fully fast or have a very light meal the next day. A light meal usually has less than 500 calories. Alternatively, the 5-2 fasting method is maintaining a regular diet five days a week while fasting for the remaining two.
Lastly, time-restricted fasting entails a regular eating schedule, but only within an eight-hour window daily. For example, forego breakfast but have lunch at noon, dinner at 8:00 pm, or an eight-hour window period for your meals.
Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
If you fast the right way, you’ll get many health benefits. According to research, intermittent fasting can help you lose weight by increasing fat-burning and metabolism. Any plan for intermittent fasting is likely to lead to some degree of weight loss. In a recent review, 84 percent reported statistically significant weight loss.
But aside from its apparent benefits for weight loss, it also has other health benefits. For example, fasting may help reduce inflammation and the body’s response to physical stress by influencing metabolic processes. In addition, some studies say fasting may help with inflammatory illnesses such as asthma, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.
Health Condition Relief and Benefits
Combining the ketogenic diet with an intermittent diet may help you lose weight faster and get into ketosis more quickly. Ketosis happens when the body cannot get enough glucose for energy and begins to break down fat instead. This process also helps lower blood sugar and insulin levels.
It is good for the prostate and other organs in the body. Prostrate is a little walnut-sized gland that surrounds the urethra, the tube via which pee exits the body. A number of issues can arise from having an enlarged prostate, including a narrowed urethra and increased bladder pressure.
Age-related enlargement of the prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), affects over 50 percent of males between the ages of 51 and 60. According to several research studies, lower fasting blood glucose levels may be associated with a smaller prostate. In other words, you can use fasting to shrink enlarged prostate since it helps lowers blood sugar levels.
Additionally, having healthy foods and drinks in your intermittent diet plan can help you shrink your prostate. For example, you can add green tea to your dinner. The powerful antioxidants in green tea have been shown to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer or slow its growth. In addition, food that is high in zinc can reduce the size of a swollen prostate. These include sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, adzuki beans, and almonds.
Giving Intermittent a Try
Intermittent fasting has many potential health benefits, but it must be done correctly. It might not be suitable for everyone, such as people with chronic illnesses, the elderly, and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Furthermore, skipping meals is not suggested for persons under 18 and athletes with a very active lifestyle. Before engaging in an intermittent diet, you must consult healthcare professionals.
Featured Photo by August de Richelieu: https://www.pexels.com/
