Should you switch to intermittent fasting? | Epycure – Epycure Laboratoire

August 25, 2021

6min reading time

Over the past few years, our society’s attitudes toward health, well-being, and nutrition have evolved. Overall, people want to eat better and take greater care of their bodies. With this in mind, healthy diets are receiving increasing media attention. Particular focus is being placed on intermittent fasting, a popular approach that could enable people to take control of their health. Today, its benefits for the body are the subject of debate. In this article, we will try to answer your questions about intermittent fasting and, above all, compare hearsay with scientific facts.

What is intermittent fasting?

Fasting is our ability to go without food without really feeling hunger while remaining active. Continuous fasting differs from intermittent fasting, which involves alternating periods of fasting and periods of eating according to regular schedules. This type of fasting is becoming increasingly common. It is not viewed as a low-calorie or restrictive diet, but rather as a regimen that could improve health. In fact, continuously providing the body with calories would keep the body’s cells constantly working. According to some researchers, intermittent fasting could allow the body to rest and thus cleanse itself and restore its organs.

What is the difference from ordinary fasting?

Ordinary fasting, which consists of continuous fasting, involves longer periods without food than intermittent fasting. The duration varies from 1 to more than 40 days. This drastic approach disrupts the body’s functioning and forces it to draw on its resources. Problems such as frequent headaches, dizziness, and faintness may occur, along with significant micronutrient deficiencies, muscle loss, and heart problems if it lasts more than 2 weeks. Since intermittent fasting takes place over relatively short periods, it is easier to follow than continuous fasting and could thus become a genuine lifestyle habit. In fact, this eating pattern generally does not cause deficiencies or fatigue because the body can easily adapt by using the glucose circulating in the body and then converting fat stores into energy.

What is the ideal approach to fasting?

Changing your eating habits can have many physical and psychological effects, which is why, if you wish to practice intermittent fasting, it is best to discuss it with healthcare professionals in order to establish the most suitable plan for your lifestyle and obligations. It is recommended only for healthy adults. There are several ways to practice intermittent fasting. The most popular methods being studied are:

Modified fasting: often referred to as 5:2 fasting. This involves fasting for 2 non-consecutive days per week, during which you must either fast or limit yourself to one 600-calorie meal.
Alternate-day fasting: this involves alternating between unrestricted eating days and fasting days. It involves fasting for 24 or even 36 hours once or several times per week.
Time-restricted eating: 16/8 is one example; it involves eating during an 8-hour period and fasting for the remaining 16 hours. The 18/6 and 20/4 models also exist. For many people, the 16/8 method is supposedly the easiest to follow and therefore the most sustainable.

Everyone must determine which method suits them best by trying it for themselves; the aim is not to endure it but to stick with it: you can either skip breakfast and eat from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. or skip dinner and eat from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

What are the benefits?

Intermittent fasting has become increasingly popular in recent years because it is said to have numerous health benefits. Its benefits are based on the fact that digestion is a process that consumes a great deal of energy every day. Intermittent fasting would therefore allow the digestive system and body to rest and stop the introduction or production of toxins in the body associated with nutrition and digestion. As a result, it could mobilize more energy to support other bodily functions, such as immunity, memory, and vitality, and to repair tissues.

Weight loss

Several studies have shown that intermittent fasting can lead to weight loss. Indeed, when combined with a healthy diet, it naturally reduces calorie intake and promotes fat burning while preserving muscle mass, since it draws the energy it needs first from glucose stores and then from the body’s fat reserves.

Rebalancing the microbiome

The microbiome, meaning all the bacteria that inhabit our bodies, plays an essential role in our health. The balance between good and bad bacteria is crucial to its stability. Intermittent fasting could reduce harmful bacteria by starving them, allowing beneficial bacteria to recolonize the space and improve intestinal transit.

Reduction of oxidative stress

Fasting promotes autophagy, a process of cellular self-cleaning and detoxification primarily triggered by a lack of food. Fasting gives our cells the ability to detoxify and recycle themselves. This cellular cleaning process can therefore slow cellular aging.

Improved cognitive abilities

Some studies have tested the effect of intermittent fasting on memory and found improved performance on memory tests among participants, which could be due to a better ability to concentrate associated with higher energy levels. It may also help prevent the onset of certain neurodegenerative diseases.

Benefits for people with metabolic syndrome

Intermittent fasting could help combat the risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. Researchers have observed reductions in blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, insulin resistance, blood sugar, and weight. It could therefore delay this type of chronic disease or improve the condition of those who have it, and may play a role in cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Effects against cancer?

This is an ongoing debate that we would like to revisit. Experts have studied hundreds of scientific studies to determine whether intermittent fasting has genuine benefits for cancer, either preventively or therapeutically. Although recent clinical trials are promising, their review of these publications did not allow them to conclude that fasting has an effect on cancer. In fact, caloric restriction could cause weight and muscle mass loss in these patients and therefore increase the risk of worsening malnutrition and sarcopenia, two factors associated with a poorer prognosis. In light of the latest trials, caution is required with this type of practice, and above all, you should discuss it with your doctor.

Should you follow a specific diet alongside intermittent fasting?

Although it does not require specific menus, intermittent fasting should be combined with a varied and balanced diet. Recommended foods are those found in the Mediterranean diet: plenty of fruits & vegetables, healthy fats such as olive oil, whole grains, and lean proteins (beans, peas, lentils, fish, tofu).

What about hydration?

Intermittent fasting is often associated with dehydration. Indeed, when we do not eat, we very often forget to drink. It is nevertheless essential to stay properly hydrated during a fast, with the goal of consuming nearly 3 liters of water by the end of the day.

What side effects can intermittent fasting have?

According to some experts, the body needs to get used to intermittent fasting, and this can take several weeks. During this period, you may experience hunger and some mood disturbances. Particular attention should be paid to non-fasting days because fasting can lead to stronger-than-usual urges to eat and therefore overeating.

Are there any specific contraindications to intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is not suitable for everyone. It is not appropriate for older people at risk of hypoglycemia, hormonal imbalances, sarcopenia, or osteoporosis. It should be avoided by children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and underweight people, and must be avoided if you have an eating disorder (binge eating or anorexia) or diabetes.

Are there enough studies proving the benefits of intermittent fasting?

Scientific studies suggest that intermittent fasting, combined with a healthy lifestyle, may have beneficial effects on human health. Unfortunately, they are still too few and often insufficient to prove its benefits, as most concern animal models or in vitro research. Therefore, it is not yet possible to recommend intermittent fasting for preventive or therapeutic purposes, although researchers do not advise against using it as a personal nutritional strategy.