Is it time to try intermittent fasting?

Is it time to try intermittent fasting?

Stimulates weight loss and reduces risk factors related to heart disease

If you want to lose weight, a diet that focuses on when you eat (rather than what you eat) may be a good way to shed some weight and improve your cardiovascular health. Close knowledge of the downsides of such systems. For example, diets based on very small amounts of calories often leave you feeling tired, hungry and stressed. As for diets based on eating low amounts of carbohydrates, or what is known as “keto” diets, they can cause a person to become constipated and create a craving for food. Similarly, it is difficult to stick to diets based on low amounts of fat, and contrary to popular belief; It seems that it does not prevent cardiovascular diseases. - A new dietary trend There is a different dietary trend, which is "intermittent fasting", which follows a completely different path. Instead of reducing the amounts of food you eat, this diet limits the The times you eat. Some people may find it easier to manage this change, says Dr. Eric Rimm, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. To the same or better degree than they do with other diets. According to a 2019 article in Nutrients, intermittent fasting stimulates weight loss and may reduce risk factors for heart disease. These include diabetes, high blood pressure, unhealthy levels of fats in the blood, and infections. However; Dr. Reem added, "However, we do not have much evidence about how well this diet performs in the long term," noting that "there are only two studies on long-term intermittent fasting, each of which lasted a year. Also, no large population segments have been eating this way for years. This contrasts with two other diets associated with good heart health and body size: the Mediterranean diet and the vegetarian diet. Intermittent fasting restricts when or how you eat; And sometimes, both. Among the forms of intermittent fasting are eating at specific times, which means eating during a specific period of time; Usually 8 hours, during the day. For example, you can eat from nine in the morning until five in the evening, and then fast for the next 16 hours. Other forms of intermittent fasting include; Fasting from one day to the next, and fasting for the whole day. Neither of these approaches includes any strict fasting from food, but instead chooses two or more days during the week, during which you greatly reduce your food intake, limiting your intake to between 400 and 600 calories. daily heat. During the other days of the week, you follow your usual way of eating. Among the famous images of this method is the so-called “5:2”, in which you eat normally within 5 days, and then reduce your calories in two days not consecutive. As for the day-to-day fasting system, it means relying on a diet characterized by limited calories every two days. - An “evolutionary” feature Some people who are overweight or who suffer from obesity may want to try intermittent fasting; so; Besides its obvious benefits for heart health, the diet has some unique aspects that may explain its success, Dr. Reem explains. First, this strategy makes sense from an evolutionary perspective: As early humans evolved, the food supply was in abundance. Moreover, we humans have evolved in harmony with the natural cycle of night and day. Our metabolism has adapted to function best during periods of starvation, eating during the day and sleeping at night. Many studies have revealed that eating at night is closely linked to weight gain and diabetes, and a study even found a higher risk of heart attacks among men who eat midnight snacks compared to those who do not. Second: intermittent fasting highlights some aspects The positives of other diet strategies, while avoiding the negatives: In this regard, Dr. Reem said: “People who try a complete or day-to-day fasting quickly realize the number of calories in certain foods. This helps them choose foods that make them feel full, but at the same time contain fewer calories.” However, since you are not constantly counting calories and feeling deprived every day, it becomes easier to continue with this diet. “Keto diet” It is worth mentioning here that the name “keto” is an abbreviation of the word “ketosis”; (A build-up of ketone bodies in the body), which refers to the metabolic process that is launched in the body when the blood glucose (which is the body's preferred energy source) is depleted, and the body begins to burn stored fat. Your body may launch ketosis within just 12 hours of not eating; Which many people do during the night before they "break their fast" with a morning meal (obviously a midnight snack undermines this process). The keto diet causes the body to stay in ketosis for much longer periods because during it you avoid eating carbohydrates, which in turn provide the body with glucose. Instead, fat turns into the preferred fuel source. However, some nutritionists are concerned that keto diets, which usually include huge amounts of meat and eggs, can be heavy on the heart. It tends to be a healthier option, especially if you follow a balanced diet that includes whole grains, nuts, legumes, fruits and vegetables, which are rich in nutrients and known to reduce the risk of heart disease. Intermittent fasting usually does not specify what to eat: In this regard, Dr. Reem admitted that “as a dietitian and epidemiologist, I do not feel comfortable with it,” adding that “eating burgers and French fries 5 days a week, then eating A breakfast of one sandwich a day, which is allotted for fewer calories, would not be healthy.” However, he added, "With any diet, it is often better to take new changes slowly and gradually." He suggested "starting the diet (5:2) or eating during specific periods." He pointed out that “once you start losing weight, you can gradually shift towards healthier eating patterns.” However, do not wait for quick results, because “when relying on intermittent fasting, people usually tend to lose weight relatively slowly; Between half a pound (a pound is about 453 grams) and a pound per week. In terms of weight loss, however, slow and sustained efforts are more successful and sustainable in the long run.” - Warnings Before Trying Intermittent Fasting If you want to try intermittent fasting, be sure to first discuss it with your doctor, advises Dr. Reem. It should be noted that stopping meals, and sharply reducing calories that the body gets, may be very dangerous for people with certain medical conditions, such as diabetes. Also, people who take drugs to lower blood pressure or for heart disease may be more likely than others to have imbalances in their bodies in terms of sodium, potassium and other minerals during longer-than-normal fasting periods. - "Harvard Heart Letter" - Tribune Media Services

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