Al-Huda
Foundation, NJ U. S. A
the Message Continues ... 10/186
Newsletter for May 2017
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Evidence-Based Health Benefits of
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where
you cycle between periods of eating and fasting.
Numerous studies show that it can have powerful benefits
for your body and brain.
Here are few evidence-based health benefits of
intermittent fasting.
Intermittent Fasting Changes The Function of
Cells, Genes and Hormones
When you don’t eat for a while, several things happen in
your body.
For example, your body initiates important cellular repair
processes and changes hormone levels to make
stored body fat more accessible.
Here are some of the changes that occur in your body
during fasting:
·
Insulin levels: Blood
levels of insulin drop significantly, which
facilitates fat burning.
·
Human growth hormone: The
blood levels of growth hormone may increase as
much as 5-fold. Higher levels of this hormone
facilitate fat burning and muscle gain, and have
numerous other benefits.
·
Cellular repair: The
body induces important cellular repair
processes, such as removing waste material from
cells.
·
Gene expression: There
are beneficial changes in several genes and
molecules related to longevity and protection
against disease.
Many of the benefits of intermittent fasting are related
to these changes in hormones, gene expression
and function of cells.
Intermittent Fasting Can Help You Lose Weight and Belly Fat
Many of those who try intermittent fasting are doing it in
order to
lose weight.
Generally speaking, intermittent fasting will make you eat
fewer meals.
Unless if you compensate by eating much more during the
other meals, you will end up taking in fewer
calories.
Additionally, intermittent fasting enhances
hormone function to facilitate weight loss.
Lower insulin levels, higher growth hormone levels and
increased amounts of norepinephrine (noradrenaline)
all increase the breakdown of body fat and
facilitate its use for energy.
For this reason, short-term fasting actually increases your
metabolic rate by 3.6-14%, helping you burn even
more calories.
In other words, intermittent fasting works on both sides
of the calorie equation. It boosts your
metabolic rate (increases calories out) and
reduces the amount of food you eat (reduces
calories in).
According to a 2014 review of the scientific literature,
intermittent fasting can cause weight loss of
3-8% over 3-24 weeks. This is a huge amount.
The people also lost 4-7% of their waist circumference,
which indicates that they lost lots of belly
fat, the harmful fat in the abdominal cavity
that causes disease.
One review study also showed that intermittent fasting
caused less muscle loss than continuous calorie
restriction.
All things considered, intermittent fasting can be an
incredibly powerful weight loss tool. More
details here: How
Intermittent Fasting Can Help You Lose Weight.
Bottom Line: Intermittent
fasting helps you eat fewer calories, while
boosting metabolism slightly. It is a very
effective tool to lose weight and belly fat.
Intermittent Fasting Can Reduce Insulin
Resistance, Lowering Your Risk of Type 2
Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes has become incredibly common in
recent decades.
Its main feature is high blood sugar levels in the context
of insulin resistance.
Anything that reduces insulin resistance should help lower
blood sugar levels and protect against type 2
diabetes.
Interestingly, intermittent fasting has been shown to have
major benefits for insulin resistance and lead
to an impressive reduction in blood sugar
levels.
In human studies on intermittent fasting, fasting blood
sugar has been reduced by 3-6%, while fasting
insulin has been reduced by 20-31%.
One study in diabetic rats also showed that intermittent
fasting protected against kidney damage, one of
the most severe complications of diabetes.
What this implies, is that intermittent fasting may be
highly protective for people who are at risk of
developing type 2 diabetes.
However, there may be some differences between genders.
One study in
women showed that blood sugar control actually
worsened after a 22-day long intermittent
fasting protocol.
Intermittent Fasting Can Reduce Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in The
Body
Oxidative stress is
one of the steps towards aging and many chronic
diseases.
It involves unstable molecules called free radicals, which
react with other important molecules (like
protein and DNA) and damage them.
Several studies show that intermittent fasting may enhance
the body’s resistance to oxidative stress.
Additionally, studies show that intermittent
fasting can help fight inflammation, another key
driver of all sorts of common diseases.
Bottom Line: Studies
show that intermittent fasting can reduce
oxidative damage and inflammation in the body.
This should have benefits against aging and
development of numerous diseases.
Intermittent Fasting May be Beneficial For Heart
Health
Heart disease is currently the world’s biggest killer.
It is known that various health markers
(so-called “risk factors”) are associated with
either an increased or decreased risk of heart
disease.
Intermittent fasting has been shown to improve numerous
different risk factors, including blood
pressure, total and LDL cholesterol, blood
triglycerides, inflammatory markers and blood
sugar levels.
However, a lot of this is based on animal studies. The
effects on heart health need to be studied a lot
further in humans before recommendations can be
made.
Bottom Line: Studies
show that intermittent fasting can improve
numerous risk factors for heart disease such as
blood pressure, cholesterol levels,
triglycerides and inflammatory markers.
Intermittent Fasting Induces Various Cellular
Repair Processes
When we fast, the cells in the body initiate a cellular
“waste removal” process called auto
phagy
This involves the cells breaking down and
metabolizing broken and dysfunctional proteins
that build up inside cells over time.
Increased autophagy may provide protection against several
diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer’s
disease.
Bottom Line: Fasting
triggers a metabolic pathway called autophagy,
which removes waste material from cells.
Intermittent Fasting May Help Prevent Cancer
Cancer is a terrible disease, characterized by
uncontrolled growth of cells.
Fasting has been shown to have several beneficial effects
on metabolism that may lead to reduced risk of
cancer.
Although human studies are needed, promising
evidence from animal studies indicates that
intermittent fasting may help prevent cancer.
There is also some evidence on human cancer patients,
showing that fasting reduced various side
effects of chemotherapy.
Bottom Line: Intermittent
fasting has been shown to help prevent cancer in
animal studies. One paper in humans showed that
it can reduce side effects caused by
chemotherapy.
Intermittent Fasting is Good For Your Brain
What is good for the body is often good for the brain as
well.
Intermittent fasting improves various metabolic features
known to be important for brain health.
This includes reduced oxidative stress, reduced
inflammation and a reduction in blood sugar
levels and insulin resistance.
Several studies in rats have shown that intermittent
fasting may increase the growth of new nerve
cells, which should have benefits for brain
function.
It also increases levels of a brain hormone called
brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) ,
a
deficiency of which has been implicated in
depression and various other brain problems.
Animal studies have also shown that intermittent fasting
protects against brain damage due to strokes.
Bottom Line: Intermittent
fasting may have important benefits for brain
health. It may increase growth of new neurons
and protect the brain from damage.
Intermittent Fasting May Help Prevent
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the world’s most common
neurodegenerative disease.
There is no cure available for Alzheimer’s, so preventing
it from showing up in the first place is
critical.
A study in rats shows that intermittent fasting may delay
the onset of Alzheimer’s disease or reduce its
severity.
In a series of case reports, a lifestyle intervention that
included daily short-term fasts was able to
significantly improve Alzheimer’s symptoms in 9
out of 10 patients.
Animal studies also suggest that fasting may protect
against other neurodegenerative diseases,
including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease .
However, more research in humans is needed.
Bottom Line: Studies
in animals suggest that intermittent fasting may
be protective against neurodegenerative diseases
like Alzheimer’s disease.
Intermittent Fasting May Extend Your Lifespan,
Helping You Live Longer
One of the most exciting applications of intermittent
fasting may be its ability to extend lifespan.
Studies in rats have shown that intermittent fasting
extends lifespan in a similar way as continuous
calorie restriction.
In some of these studies, the effects were quite dramatic.
In one of them, rats that fasted every other day
lived 83% longer than rats who weren’t fasted.
Although this is far from being proven in humans,
intermittent fasting has become very popular
among the anti-aging crowd.
Given the known benefits for metabolism and all sorts of
health markers, it makes sense that intermittent
fasting could help you live a longer and
healthier life. |