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fasting

Is Intermittent Fasting Good for You?

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Intermittent fasting has grown increasingly popular in recent years. I’ve gotten a lot of questions about it: does it work? Is intermittent fasting good for you? How will it benefit me? Etc etc. Today, I thought

If I’m being honest, this is a post I’ve put off writing for a long time. There is still much to be learned about the topic, and I’ve shied away from putting out a post based on emerging evidence. That said, I think it’s a good exercise for me to make sense of existing literature about a topic that’s still learned about. 

So, take this post with a grain of salt. This is a hot but still-emerging topic in the scientific community. As we learn more about intermittent fasting (IF)

in the coming years we can paint a more complete picture of how IF impacts human beings and their health.

For now, here’s what the science says about IF!

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting (IF) Is a diet pattern that focuses on eating during a specific window of time each day. Some people eat only during a 12 hour window, others eat during 6 hour windows. Some people only eat 1 meal a day. There are many different interpretations of intermittent fasting and many different IF eating schedules out there. 

IF focuses more on when you eat rather than what you eat. Some people, including people who don’t care for breakfast, or those who like to eat a lot at once, may enjoy this pattern of eating. Others, like those who like snacks every few hours, may not like this pattern of eating.

Is intermittent fasting for everyone? 

IF is not safe for everyone. In fact, it may be dangerous for people with certain health conditions like diabetes and kidney disease. It is also not recommended for growing children and teenagers, pregnant or breastfeeding women. 

People on medications that work best when taken with food may also find scheduling their medicine and meals challenging.

Additionally, IF may be triggering or unsafe for those with a present diagnosis or history of eating disorders or disordered eating.

Before you begin IF, I’d strongly advise checking with your physician or dietitian to see if it is safe for you. 

What does the science say about Intermittent Fasting?

Before we dive into specifics, I’d like to point out that most of the research I was able to find on IF is animal-based research, and/or human research that takes place over a short window of time. There are few long-term human studies focused on IF, which may limit the generalizability of the studies. 

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Fed, Fasting and Starved Metabolic States

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What happens when you don’t eat enough? This post is going to talk about the biological consequences of fasting and starvation. Starvation and/or under-eating may occur for a variety of reasons: circumstance, prolonged extreme dieting, or fasting diets may put the body in a state of starvation. This post will detail what exactly happens in your body when you are starving.

Before we dive deep into the biological impacts of fasting, I thought this little epiphany I had while researching this post was worth sharing. 

Even though modern medicine has evolved tremendously, and we have adapted to incredible technology, at the end of the day we are still creatures, and much of our underlying biology is designed to help us survive as our hunter-gathering ancestors did. Our bodies have astounding protective mechanisms and tightly regulated systems that work to keep us alive.

Personally, I find this stuff fascinating. Ever since I had to read this paper many many years ago, I found the metabolic shifts the body undergoes while eating, post-meal, and during extended periods of time without food riveting.

I am not sure if anyone else will find this interesting (lol really selling myself here…but for real if this is to much science lingo and too in depth, let me know), but I think understanding this process is also important if you want to better understand fasting diets, consequences or physiological damages caused by eating disorders, or what “keto” really means. Hope you enjoy! 

*Disclaimer: As always, this is general information intended for healthy adults. Your needs may vary based on medical status, lifestyle, or life-stage. Please never replace generalized health information you’ve read online with individualized clinical care.

Forms of Energy Stores in the Body:

When your body has extra energy after a meal that isn’t immediately needed, it is stored. Your body tightly regulates the amount of glucose (energy/sugar) in the bloodstream and tucks the rest away into storage for a rainy day. This is your body’s way of defending against possible potential starvation scenarios.

Many of us are aware that fat (adipose triglyceride) tissue is one of the major forms of energy reserve in the human body. While adipose tissue serves other important roles, including insulation and padding for your organs, one of its main functions is to serve as an energy depot.

In addition to adipose tissue, glycogen (from carbohydrates) is stored in the liver and muscles. Protein is also stored in muscle. Although it can be broken down by the body and transformed into energy in dire circumstances, as it serves a variety of roles, the body makes great effort to spare it unless depleted of all other options. 

Why You Need Food:

To maintain proper function, the brain, nervous system, and cells needs energy. That energy comes in the form of glucose. Typically, your body tightly regulate levels of blood glucose to be able to properly fuel your heart, lungs, brain, and muscles to fuel your daily activities. 

The body does a great job tucking extra energy into storage for later, and harvesting it as needed. More details below.

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