By now you’ve probably heard of intermittent fasting, one of the latest and most popular rapid-acting diets in the world of fitness. But some questions you’ve had – is it safe? Does it lead to weight loss? Will it work for my body? – may come to mind. In this article, we’ll address the risks, potential benefits, and effectiveness of the new health craze that could live up to all the hype.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

‘Intermittent’ essentially means starting and stopping at intervals, and fasting is abstaining from food or drink (besides water) for set periods of time. Time-restricted eating, 5:2, 16:8, and the Fast Diet are some other monikers this regimen goes by. This health trend breaks from the traditional label of ‘diet’ in that it is not as much about how many calories you eat, but what time you eat them. During intermittent fasting, a person only eats during an “eating window” on a regular schedule between short fasts. It’s undertaken to manage weight, prevent disease, and boost intestinal health.

Does it Work?

When a person eats, any carbohydrates that have been eaten give your body a glucose supply as a source of fuel. Insulin is secreted while blood sugar levels rise, and the body transports glucose from the bloodstream to the cells used for energy. Extra glucose gets stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. After a few hours, the ‘fed state’ ends, your blood sugar and insulin lower and the body starts to break down glycogen into glucose for energy.

Glucose Burning to Fat Burning

But 12-24 hours after eating, when glycogen levels are much lower, the body begins to break down fat and protein stores to use for energy. This produces ketone bodies, which is a compound created in the liver from fatty acid. This stage, unlike the ‘fed stage’, is known as ‘ketosis’. It’s basically when the body uses fat as the primary source of energy instead of glucose. This stage of using fat to burn fuel may not be reached through intermittent fasting, although that’s the ultimate goal.

By switching from your body being in the ‘digesting food stage’ every 12-24 hours after eating to the ‘ketosis’ phase, intermittent fasting can use fat to burn fuel and promote weight loss. It also promotes autophagy, in which the body removes damaged cells and maintains cell health. Autophagy can also reduce inflammation and decrease the risk of cancers and chronic diseases, another side benefit of intermittent fasting.

While evidence of the efficacy of intermittent fasting is not yet set in stone, helping with growth hormones, insulin sensitivity, and promoting the immune system and longevity of life are all benefits it claims to support. Research and scholarship does not back up these claims yet, due to its recent appearance on the health and fitness scene; however, hundreds if not thousands of users testimonies have sworn by its weight loss ability and the low cost of starting up.

Types of Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting has different disciplines, listed below:

• Whole day fasting is a simple 24-hour fast
• Alternate-day fasting (ADF) allows fasting every other day
• Periodic fasting limits food to around 500-600 calories per day two days per week
• Modified alternate-day fasting restricts the amount of food eaten to 25% of the usual intake every other day
• Time-restricted eating only allows you to eat during an “eating window,” like the 16:8 method which involves fasting for 16 hours and eating within an 8-hour window

All of the above methods work on the principle of reducing calories for weight loss, but some (like the whole day fast and ADF) have more health risks than others.

The Benefits

Heart Health is one of the areas intermittent fasting can improve. It reduces LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol, increases HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol which lowers blood pressure and inflammation.

Some research on animals has shown that intermittent fasting can benefit brain health and prevent Alzheimer’s and stroke.

Alternate-day fasting increased the lifespan of mice by 13% and even improved the overall health of the mice.

It also impacted gut health by allowing the body to take breaks from digestion, improving the amount of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which leads to better metabolism and weight change.

And finally, intermittent fasting can promote blood sugar management by reducing the risk of type-2 diabetes (if fasting with a 6-hour window) in men, raising insulin sensitivity and lowering the levels of blood sugar.

The Risks

If someone hasn’t previously fasted for religious or health reasons, the effects can be pretty jarring. A person may feel sick especially since the body also begins to cleanse itself from certain toxins. Some experience lethargy, constipation, a bad temper, or headaches. These symptoms usually occur during whole-day or ADF, so those experiencing these should consider switching to periodic fasting or time-restricted eating.

Another risk is that it may cause overeating. Slower metabolism and increased appetite are side effects of calorie-restricted diets, so the reward center of your brain may be telling you to give into your cravings after a difficult fast. Instead try recharging by drinking beverages with healthy fat like coconut milk or natural sucrose like orange juice to avoid metabolic trouble.

Intermittent fasting can also cause excess weight loss in older adults, affecting the bones, energy levels and immune systems, and can be hazardous if done while on certain medications. For diabetes patients, skipping a meal or fasting for any length of time can be particularly dangerous, and the same goes for those who take medications with meals. That’s why it’s important to discuss intermittent fasting with your doctor before trying it out.

If any of the above risks are a concern for you, after consulting a doctor, it may be in your best interest to slowly reduce the time window for eating over a period of months rather than jumping into regularly scheduled intermittent fasting cold turkey. It’s important to eat fiber when refueling, and only drink water or non-calorie beverages while fasting to have the safest and best result.

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