By Viwe Ndongeni-Ntlebi May 5, 2021
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Intermittent fasting (IF) is a term people use to describe patterns of eating that include regular periods of fasting in which they consume very few or no calories.
This has been a popular trend for many of the health conscious and some people are using it to lose weight, improve their health and simplify their lifestyles.
Registered Dietician and founder of Newtricion Wellness Dieticians, Omy Naidoo, says fasting has been around for decades and many different religions practice some sort of fasting during holy periods.
Intermittent fasting is a type of weight-loss strategy in which the person undergoes a voluntary fast for a specific period of time. The benefit of this fasting is that after 12 hours your body starts to break down fat through a process called lipolysis; as opposed to storing fat, which is typically seen after eating a meal. Scientists refer to this process as a way to flip your metabolisms switch.
So far, the research studies evaluating intermittent fasting have been relatively short and have enrolled only a limited number of participants. In one, published July 1, 2017, in JAMA Internal Medicine, 100 overweight people were assigned to one of three eating plans: restricting daily calorie intake by the same amount every day (similar to a traditional diet plan); fasting on alternate days; and continuing with normal eating habits. At the end of the 12-month study, both diet groups had lost weight compared with the normal eaters. However, the fasters didn't fare any better than the conventional calorie cutters.
Naidoo says: The benefits of IF include weight loss, some improvements in blood glucose levels, anti-ageing effects, reduction in cardiovascular risk, as well as cancer.
While there is growing evidence that IF has its benefits, it is crucial to remember it may not be an approach that works for everyone. It is important to work with an expert such as a registered dietician, to determine which strategy would be the best for you. This could be IF, low carb diets, Keto Diet, Calorie Restriction, Very Low-Calorie Diets (800kcal), etc. Remember, it is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
He says that the best approach for IF would be the 16/8 whereby you consume all your calories in an 8-hour window. This would mean having supper at 6pm and then your next meal at 10am the next morning. The best results have been seen when you combine IF and a calorie restriction; this means one should still be mindful of the types of foods being eaten in the 8-hour window.
Some research shows that IF actually helps with fat loss, as well as fat redistribution whereby the fat around the tummy is redistributed in the body, thereby reducing the risk of cardiac disease, he says.
Naidoo further suggests that intermittent fasting is not for everyone, since it does not always yield positive results and can cause hypoglycemia for diabetic people and low blood sugar levels in pregnant women.
Although intermittent fasting can seem convenient to do, it is advisable that you consult your medical practitioner before implementing it, especially if you have a medical condition, concludes Naidoo.
More here:
How to do intermittent fasting the right way - IOL
