Chris Kresser’s latest email: Intermittent Fasting

[BadHare]

Might be of interest to some...

I recently came across a great new paper in the New England Journal of Medicine called “Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease.”

It summarizes the accumulating evidence suggesting that skipping meals (and snacks)—aka “intermittent fasting” (IF)—can have profound impacts on our health.

Researchers originally thought that the benefits of IF were mostly due to weight loss.

However, this is no longer the case. Evidence now indicates that intermittent fasting has several positive effects that are unrelated to weight, including:

Improving blood sugar regulation, heart rate, and blood pressure

Increasing stress resistance

Slowing the effects of aging

Reducing inflammation

Improving cognitive function

Why does IF have so many benefits?

Being in a fasted state activates cellular pathways that remove or repair damaged molecules and improve our defense against oxidative and metabolic stress.

There are several different approaches to IF, including alternate-day fasting (eating only every other day), 5:2 fasting (eating five days per week, and fasting two days), and time-restricted eating (typically eating only during a six- to eight-hour window each day).

All can be effective, but in my work with patients, I’ve found that time-restricted eating is the most practical and sustainable approach for most people.

This might mean eating only between noon and 8:00 p.m. each day (for an eight-hour window) or between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (for a six-hour window).

There’s some evidence that eating only in the morning or daytime is better than a later window, i.e., 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. However, this is challenging socially for people who want to eat dinner with family and friends, so most find it easier to include dinner in their eating window.

If you’d like to give time-restricted eating a shot, make sure to start slowly to give your metabolic machinery a chance to adapt.

For example, you could begin with a 10-hour food window five days per week for the first month, then go to an eight-hour window five days per week for the next month, then an eight-hour window seven days per week, then, finally, a six-hour window seven days per week.

Also, remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to this stuff.

I’ve found that some of my patients don’t do well with prolonged time-restricted eating, especially with shorter (i.e., six-hour) windows every day.

I’m not sure why this is the case, but I suspect it’s because fasting, although beneficial, is a stressor. If someone already has a very high level of background stress, the additional stress of time-restricted eating may push them over the edge.

Another potential cause of difficulty might be for people who are already underweight or in a hypocaloric state due to chronic illness. In these cases, time-restricted eating may accelerate weight loss and further decrease calorie intake, which isn’t desirable.

As always, let your own experience and your body—rather than a theory—be your guide.

[ChubbieChops]

A very interesting and helpful post. Wasn't it Dr. Michael Moseley who came up with the idea of the 5:2 fast? I read his book a year ago - he explains the science behind the thinking in a very readable way. This article does too though - I might think about the 5:2 diet as I do struggle to give up breakfast and having cooked dinner, the thoughts of watching hubby eat it on his own, is depressing too!

[BadHare in reply to ChubbieChops]

I’m not sure of the origin, I heard about it from a friend about 7 years ago, then started reading different sources. I know people that have lost weight on different styles so it’s good to find out which, if any, will suit us, & easing in gradually.

Can you get hubby to join you? I don’t do it for weight loss, rather to ameliorate health conditions & feel better. It suits timings for meds & supplements I take to not eat early or late, so these work better. Someone on another forum said a 12 hour fast does the trick, so eats between 8am but not after 8pm. I can’t remember where I read it, but 12 hours is the minimum to be effective, & that means you can share breakfast & dinner times.

[ChubbieChops in reply to BadHare]

12 hours does sound a good plan - will start with that - thanks. Hubby is nice and slim and eats what he likes so no, he won't be joining me. Sometimes I hate him!!!! 🤬🤬🤬

[OilpainterUS in reply to ChubbieChops]

Funny!