Our body needs food as fuel. However, achieving the ideal ratio of calories to nutrients might be challenging.
One dietary strategy that has become increasingly popular is intermittent fasting.
The topic, pros and cons of intermittent fasting, presents a spectrum of positive and negative outcomes.
Thus, as a reader, you can decide if this is a wise course for your health and wellness journey.
First, what is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a short period without food. It involves a cycle of eating and not eating for specific periods.
The length of your fasting period can vary, but in the scientific community, a fast is typically defined as lasting at least 12 hours.
This is because it takes about 12 hours for your body to use up the glucose from your last meal and start burning fat for energy. There are different types of periodic fasting.
The most common time-restricted eating typically takes the following forms:
16/8: This kind of intermittent fasting entails an 8-hour window for eating after 16 hours of fasting. For example, if dinner is at 8 p.m., you would fast until noon.
18/6: This kind involves an 18-hour fast followed by a 6-hour interval for eating.
14/10: This involves eating for the final 10 hours after a 14-hour fast.
20/4: This kind entails fasting all day except for a 4-hour interval.
For those looking for a more intense intermittent fasting experience, there’s the 5:2 strategy.
This involves eating your regular meals five days a week and drastically reducing your calorie intake on the other two days—by at least 75%. (For example, if your daily calorie goal is 2,000, you would only consume 500 calories on a fast day.)
However, it’s important to note that this method is unsuitable for everyone. It’s always prudent to consult a healthcare professional before making significant dietary changes, especially a low-calorie diet like intermittent fasting.
You can drink water and calorie-free beverages like tea and black coffee during your fast.
Before delving into the benefits and drawbacks of intermittent fasting, it’s crucial to outline its safety parameters. This way, you can determine if it’s a suitable dietary strategy for you or if you should avoid it altogether.
Children and teens under the age of 18 should steer clear of this mode of fasting, as well as women who are pregnant and those currently breastfeeding, for apparent reasons.
People with type 1 diabetes who take insulin are also strictly advised to steer clear. There has been no research conducted on individuals with type I diabetes despite the growing body of clinical trials demonstrating the safety of intermittent fasting in those with type 2 diabetes.
The reason for this is that people with type I diabetes require insulin, and eating on an intermittent basis raises the possibility of dangerously high levels of hypoglycemia during the fasting interval.
Lastly, those with a history of eating disorders are not encouraged to embark on an intermittent fasting journey because it might do them more harm than good.
For those not in these categories, intermittent fasting can be a safe and beneficial dietary strategy. It has the potential to be a positive lifestyle change, offering a range of health benefits.
Intermittent fasting: Pros and cons
Intermittent fasting encourages weight loss and enhances some health indicators. However, it’s not for everyone. Before attempting a fast, consider the benefits and drawbacks.
Pros of intermittent fasting
One of the key advantages of intermittent fasting is its adaptability. You can choose when and how long you fast, making it easy to incorporate it into your daily routine without the need for strict calorie counting or meal tracking.
Also, there is evidence that fasting has health benefits. Researchers have studied fasting extensively in animals and occasionally in humans. This research demonstrates numerous potential advantages for heart health and general health. Among the advantages are:
1. Encourages weight loss
Fasting promotes ketogenesis, enabling your body to use fat rather than glucose when fueling. It also helps you regulate your calorie deficit, which results in weight loss.
After reviewing multiple trials, researchers found that patients who engaged in intermittent fasting had a significantly lower body mass index (BMI).
The findings also demonstrated that intermittent fasting effectively lowered weight, regardless of BMI.
In a different study, researchers discovered that the practice’s effects on weight loss were comparable to those of regular diets. More extended studies are required to get definitive results.
2. Lowers Resistance to Insulin
Studies reveal intermittent fasting can reduce insulin levels and potentially enhance insulin sensitivity in prediabetics. Insulin sensitivity refers to how an individual’s body responds to insulin’s effects.
Insulin resistance, or low insulin sensitivity, is linked to various health problems, including type 2 diabetes.
It may also help lower fasting blood glucose by decreasing leptin levels, a hormone generated by fat cells to control appetite, and raising adiponectin levels, a hormone involved in lipid metabolism and glucose regulation.
3. Enhances Heart Function
Fasting occasionally could be beneficial for heart health. Studies on humans have shown that it can enhance variables linked to a higher risk of heart disease.
These include elevated levels of blood lipids, cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers, including C-reactive proteins and cytokines.
4. Support good brain health.
Intermittent fasting benefits your brain in addition to your heart. Research indicates that sporadic fasting elevates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, as reduced protein levels are associated with sadness and cognitive impairment.
It could promote the development of new neurons. Emerging research points to the potential benefit of intermittent fasting for neurological illnesses such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, and stroke.
5. Reduction of Inflammation
Intermittent fasting is an effective treatment for low-grade inflammation. Chronic inflammation can cause more harm than good, even while inflammation is necessary for the body to fight off harmful organisms and heal from injuries by activating our immune system.
Nearly all illnesses in the modern world, such as diabetes, cancer, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, obesity, and Alzheimer’s, are caused by chronic inflammation.
It has been proven that intermittent fasting lowers levels of inflammatory-promoting biomarkers, including interleukin 6, homocysteine, and C-reactive protein, which contribute to the development of several chronic diseases.
6. Could Lengthen Your Life
One of the most often mentioned advantages of intermittent fasting is longevity. A growing body of research suggests that calorie restriction and fasting may be the keys to eternal youth.
By eating for six hours and fasting for eighteen, it is possible to induce a metabolic shift from glucose-based to ketone-based energy.
In addition to lengthening life, this can improve stress tolerance and lower the prevalence of illnesses like cancer and obesity.
According to animal research, a 10–40% calorie reduction can lead to longer lifespans with lower illness incidence.
However, this does not imply that an approach that works for animals would also work for people.
While some observational studies have linked religious fasting to benefits for long-term longevity, further human trials are needed.
7. Could Assist in the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer
Animal studies have shown that periodic fasting may help sensitize cancer cells to the treatment while shielding normal cells from the damaging effects of chemotherapy medicines.
For humans, the advantages still need to be determined. We can still credit weight control and decreased inflammation from intermittent fasting for the reduced risk of cancer development.
8. Simple To Comply With
You only need a watch or calendar to know when to eat on an intermittent fast. With this strategy, you consume based on the day of the week or time of day, unlike many diets that limit some foods or emphasize others.
9. Allowed to Eat Unrestricted
Another excellent pro of intermittent fasting is that you can avoid physically measuring your portions or using a smartphone app to tabulate daily counts when you practice time-limited intermittent fasting.
Even the other forms of intermittent fasting are straightforward and necessitate little to no calorie counting. Additionally, no objectives or limitations exist for any macronutrient, like carbohydrates.
But even though food is restricted during specific hours, you can still eat something you want. There might be better options to benefit from intermittent fasting while carrying on your poor diet.
10. It offers additional health advantages.
Intermittent fasting has benefits besides weight loss. It can improve mental clarity, memory, physical stamina, and even autophagy, a crucial detoxifying process that helps the body eliminate damaged cells.
It allows the body to purge harmful substances from cells that hasten the aging process and allows the body to repair.
Some have even reported that intermittent fasting improves sleep quality. The control of circadian rhythm, which establishes sleep patterns, may cause this.
Cons of Intermittent fasting
As much as intermittent fasting has numerous benefits, it can also have potentially harmful effects, especially if it is not done correctly or excessively.
This is why following and adhering to the rules is essential before embarking on the journey.
1. Extreme Hunger
During fasting, when you starve, your hunger centers in your brain and your appetite hormones go into overdrive. This could worsen when you see people around you eating regular meals or snacks.
Hunger is a common and normal complaint from people just starting their intermittent fasting journey.
With time, your body gets used to the hunger period, and you become better at it, thus going for extended periods without much hunger stimulation.
It is also important not to force yourself initially; breaking off the fast is entirely okay when you can no longer continue.
Intermittent fasting should never feel like a punishment. Also, always remember to drink a lot of water during the fast.
2. Adverse Reactions
Intermittent fasting might negatively impact certain people. This is especially true when beginning the procedure from scratch. You can have a headache during a fast as your body gets used to consuming fewer calories.
Possible additional effects include digestive problems, bloating, heartburn, constipation, nausea, and diarrhea. Other potential side effects include anemia, starvation, irritability, dizziness, and dehydration.
3. Less Exercise
Intermittent fasters may also experience fatigue. This could result in them altering their regular workout regimen or failing to reach their daily step targets.
Furthermore, most intermittent fasting regimens do not advocate regular physical exercise.
It will take some time for your body to adjust. When you begin a fasting practice, select a time of day or period of the week when you don’t have to be especially active.
4. Drugs
It is especially advised to take certain drugs with food. In that scenario, taking prescription drugs while fasting might be difficult.
If you have a chronic ailment that necessitates daily prescription medication, see your healthcare professional before beginning an intermittent fasting plan.
They will investigate whether fasting will affect the way your medication works or cause adverse effects.
5. Extended Restrictions
Researchers have discovered that those following the fasting diet have an extremely high dropout rate.
For example, a 2017 study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine discovered that over 40% of patients give up fasting within six months.
This might also be an example of a real-world drawback of fasting as a weight-loss strategy. After much effort, like a prolonged fast, it is only natural for humans to want to treat themselves.
6. Could Still Lead to Weight Gain
Although fasting intermittently reduces overall calorie consumption, overeating within the allotted eating time can still lead to weight gain.
This implies that weight will return if your body consumes more calories than you burn. Fasting does not substitute for a healthy diet and calorie management.
Just because you fast occasionally does not mean that you may eat as much fast food and other junk as you want when you aren’t fasting.
7. Could Affect Eating Disorders
The restrictive nature of intermittent fasting may lead to poor eating habits in specific individuals. For example, feeling deprived after a full day of fasting could trigger binge eating during non-fasting times.
Before beginning any fasting regimen, be honest with yourself. Incorporate fundamental nutrition principles, such as calorie restriction and a balanced diet, to set yourself up for success.
Conclusion
I have given you everything I can on the pros and cons of intermittent fasting based on my research and experience.
Now, I will leave you with a few more tips, which will also summarize all I have mentioned above.
Before you begin experimenting with intermittent fasting, consider the following advice:
- Consider your lifestyle. It doesn’t make sense to begin fasting every day at 3 p.m. if you value family dinners. Determine which choice best suits your needs.
- Read: Do you want to control your blood sugar levels, live a longer life, or lose weight by fasting? Become knowledgeable so you can select the strategy that makes sense. Read! Just like you did here.
- Eat healthily: As mentioned before, skipping meals occasionally won’t replace a balanced diet. After your fast, you must do more than binge on hamburgers and French fries.
- Eat as much fruit and veggies as possible, as well as nutritious grains and lean protein. Eating within a relatively constrained time frame and not focusing on healthy eating can be nutritionally insufficient.
- Drink up: To avoid being dehydrated during fasting, consume much water. Additionally, organize and prepare meals in advance so you may have wholesome snacks when hungry.
This will make you less inclined to overindulge in snacks when your window for eating opens.
- Don’t go overboard: Some intermittent fasters eat only once a day. Eating only once daily makes getting enough vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients easier.
Only some people can follow the more popular 5:2 plan. Consult your physician before attempting any of these more drastic methods for intermittent fasting.
- Start modestly if you’re intrigued yet apprehensive about going without food for an extended period.
Eat for twelve hours, followed by a twelve-hour fast. Start even more modestly by “fasting” in between meals. If fasting sounds scary, you can opt for alternatives that involve avoiding snacking between meals, especially late-night snacking.
That can be a simple method to allow your blood sugar to stabilize between meals.
As with most eating plans, it’s wise to consult your doctor or dietician before making significant dietary changes.
This is particularly valid if you have medical conditions, use medicine, or are considering implementing more drastic fasting regimens.
Lastly, it is always crucial to keep in mind that not everyone should practice intermittent fasting and that some people may benefit from not doing so. Consult your physician before beginning any fasting program.
