The Science of Intermittent Fasting, Health Benefits And Aging

Introduction

Food is definitely one of the essential needs of life, human basically needs it to survive. With the development of the human race came the realization that it is not enough and particularly healthy to eat just to live and satisfy hunger.

Then different questions about the right food and optimal eating frequency sprang up. With the evolution of science, there has been consciousness to how, what and when we need to eat, not for just living, but for healthy living.

As unhealthy eating habits and poor nutrition have been found to cause malnutrition and obesity with associated diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke to mention a few.

The traditional eating pattern has been three times a day, which is based on giving the body food most times it asks for it. The potential issue with that cycle is that diet is less controlled and increased calorie intakes which are likely to lead health problems associated with poor eating habits. Recent researches have dug into the benefit of intermittent fasting as a good way of restricting calorie intake for effective weight loss and general healthy living. From antiquity, fasting has been only widely considered as a way of spiritual atonement or petition to God or a god, but recent researches are suggesting there may be great health in reducing our calorie intake through fasting. And a potential longevity to be gained when done properly. Although the jury is still out on it.

Intermittent Fasting - A fad or scientific stamped?

Effects on Rodents

Though the idea of intermittent fasting gained popularity on the internet just a couple of a years ago, the idea was born in the 1930s when Clive McCay and his group conducted a study on its health benefit on animals, making use of the more available rats.

They restricted the diets, specifically the energy food fed of the rats sustainably but were not undernourished. According to the researchers, the lifespan of the rats increased considerably by 20 - 50%. It was reported that the chances of cancer in the specimens was reduced, rates of diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart diseases were also lowered. Yeah. I know you are not a rat.

Effects On More Related Animals

Further research works have been conducted on the link between calorie restriction, health and aging. The notable one has been conducted since the 80s and still ongoing, this time using the more human-related rhesus monkeys. Two research teams at the University of Wisconsin Primate Center in Madison and National Institute of Aging collaborated on it. After the initial conflicting and inconclusive results which were due to the difference in the study methods. The current result published in 2017 shows that caloric restriction has a great say in longevity. Although Other factors such as age, sex and diet can make a big difference in the potency of any lowered calorie diet plan.

Study on Humans

Though different individuals have reported the effect of fasting on their physical and general well being. There have been very few prolonged studies on actual humans probably due the affection (or addiction, if you like) to food and the reluctance to adhere to extreme diets for a long time. One of those few studies, was a small one conducted on 71 people placed on fast mimicking diet low in carbs, sugar and protein but high in unsaturated fats for initial 3 months, they were allowed to return to their normal eating habits for the next three months and then back to the fasting diet. The fasting diet outcome was analyzed and found to produce the following results in the participants...

Reduction in their weight and body fat

Reduced blood pressure

Reduction in the hormone IGF-1 ( a major factor in diseases)

Decreased cholesterol, BMI, glucose, triglycerides

Reduction of C-reactive protein, that characterizes inflammation

The result of the fasting mimicking diet was more prominent in the participants with a higher risk of developing diseases at the beginning of the study. The result of these studies is quite promising but larger one with human subjects, especially with diagnosed diseases to ascertain how effective intermittent fasting can be in preventing or possibly treatment of diseases.

The Okinawans

Another case for caloric reduction is the 'uncontrolled' study of the Japanese people of the island of Okinawa who have more centenaries, lower mortality and lowers cancer-related death than the whole of United State and most places.

They typically have a lower BMI (adults) than most places. What are the Okinawans doing right? The study found that a good percentage of the adult population of the island consume lesser calories, around 1,780 calories per day and very little of protein, meaning less insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). The higher presence of the hormone increases the risk of cancer. The Okinawans combine their calorie-restricted 'lifestyle' with protein reduction, the two go hand in hand in any potentially long and healthy life. Having said that, protein is very important for building muscle mass and strength (explains why the people of the island are 'modest' in size), so some muscle loss might be unavoidable but can be controlled with a proper diet. They key is knowing and sticking to the right balance.

Easy Calorie reduction Method

The best way to reduce calorie is still fasting. Calorie restriction is hard to monitor and will most likely make you hungrier. Technically, We fast every day. Yea...right, you do.

Most people find it difficult to go from 8 in the morning to 8 in the night without eating but can easily do without when the time is reversed. Because they are most likely sleeping and the body system is used to that pattern. We fast when we sleep. There are different 'convenient' plans for fasting, the goal for embarking in any is to lower calorie plus protein intake.

The 5/2 diet - In this plan, you eat normally for 5 days in a week and restrict your calorie intake to not then 500 - 600 for the remaining two days of the week.
20/4 diet - Called the warrior diet. As the formula suggests, you simply (not that simple) fast for 20 hours and eat normally once at night. It is more flexible than 16/8 as it allows you to eat small snacks during the fasting hours. This method is somehow difficult to maintain as it is easy to lose discipline and small snacks tend to make people hungrier.
Alternate fasting - In this plan, you fast or highly reduced your calorie intake every other day. Straightforward method but comes the temptation of losing discipline after feasting the day before.
Eat-Stop-Eat - Here, you are allowed to fast for a day or two of the week and go back to your regular eating for the other days. Calorie-free drinks during the fasting day(s) is allowed and moderate and/or spread across exercise on non-fasting days can also come handy.
16/8 diet - Also called Lean Gain. This is the most popular and seems like the easiest IF method to adhere to, where you fast for 16 hours and eat to your satisfaction for the other 8 hours. It offers freedom of meal frequency with no strict guideline or calorie restriction for 8 hours but with a much-reduced chance of entering ketosis if the carbs and protein intake were high during the eating period.

Final Thought

Intermittent Fasting is your good chance of entering ketosis, where your body digs into and break down stored fat directly for the energy it needs which is preferred method of losing body fat (or weight) among other health benefits.

To enjoy the full benefit of intermittent fasting, attention must be paid to the food quality. Don't try to compensate for the caloric reduction of the fasting days/hours by eating excessively on the 'feasting' days/hours. Exercise is still important to build or hold your muscle. And of course, it takes consistency and patience to get used to it and get a healthy outcome. Admittedly the evidence of a direct link between our eating patterns and long lives, though encouraging, needs more authority as of now. And there is no guaranteed pointer to how long anyone will live but one thing is certain, by eating right and in the optimal pattern with a fasting diet, you can increase your odds of living a healthy and disease-free life.

Thank you for reading.

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