The Scientist: A Body Without Food ~ intermittent fasting

[BadHare]

Infographic: A Body Without Food

Mounting evidence suggests that intermittent fasting causes significant changes to various organs and tissue types.

the-scientist.com/?articles...

The fasting signal likely starts in the liver, the body’s central command for metabolism. But through changes in gene expression and alterations in complex enzymatic pathways, the effects of food deprivation spread throughout the body, from the brain and visceral fat to the muscles and more.

LIVER

Fasting and time-restricted feeding increases insulin sensitivity, decreases insulin resistance, and lowers blood glucose levels. With prolonged periods of fasting, the liver’s glycogen stores become depleted, and visceral fat is tapped as an energy source, which releases ketones that can be metabolized by neurons and muscle cells.

IMMUNE SYSTEM

Periodic fasting reprograms T-cell populations, tamping down autoimmunity and rescuing immunosenescence. A lack of incoming calories appears to prune away autoimmune T cells, and with refeeding, hematopoietic stem cells are activated to replace T cells, lymphocytes, and other white blood cells. Several fasting studies have also pointed to a decrease in inflammatory cytokines.

HEART

Because triglycerides become mobilized for energy in the absence of incoming dietary calories, blood lipid levels tend to go down in a fasting body. Researchers have also seen decreases in blood pressure in fasting animals. In some animal studies of fasting, investigators have recorded decreases in cholesterol.

BRAIN

Intermittent fasting has improved memory, learning, and neurogenesis in rodents, and has been shown to repair some neurons in mouse models of ischemic stroke.

CANCER

By making tumor cells more susceptible to chemotherapeutic agents while protecting healthy cells from the treatment’s toxicity, intermittent fasting is showing promise in slowing the progression of breast cancers and melanoma in mice.

[Zest]

I shall look forward to reading this tomorrow, Mel, as I am trying to do intermittent fasting in the evenings, and will enjoy reading it. Thank you.

Zest

[TheAwfulToad]

Personally I think what most people call "intermittent fasting" just ... isn't. We're so used to the high-carb routine of endless grazing and snacking that anything longer than 4 hours without sustenance is considered "fasting".

I find that on a fat-based diet I can easily go 12 hours without feeling hungry; I'm sort of aware that my stomach is empty, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I went 3 days without eating once just to see what would happen :). The answer is "not much", although I did feel a bit run-down by the end of day 3.

I tend not to skip meals these days because I do very intense workouts - I need a regular protein top-up - but if I were stuck in a chair all day I'd happily skip lunch.

[BadHare in reply to TheAwfulToad]

It needs to be at least 13 hours fast, though I usually have a minimum 14 hours in winter & more in summer. I got used to it quickly, after thinking it would be hard to do. My body got used to water, & sometimes weak green or white tea, inbetween food times. I eat at least 50% more which is nutritionally better yet I maintain the same weight, & it improved health conditions.

[andyswarbs]

giving the body a long rest from eating can be a very good thing. That's why break-fast is so called. I generally eat around 6pm and then not again until 7 or 8am, which is around 12 or 13 hours each night.

I think this pattern is common amongst high-carb whole food plant-based eaters, where grazing becomes a thing of the past.