Fasting affects all cells and systems of the body. But what are the pros and cons of fasting when it comes to heart health?
Intermittent fasting (IF) has been a widely discussed topic over the past few years. You might be investigating fasting to lose weight, or you might be wondering whether its benefits are worth the risk of having a rumbling stomach for breakfast, and a snappy attitude at work. In this article, we wish to explore IF’s pros and cons regarding health claims, as well as the suggested approach for different individuals.
Fasting and intermittent fasting are often used interchangeably, but they actually mean two different things. While fasting can be done for an extended period of time, simply for health, religious, or ethical purposes, intermittent fasting is a practice that is carefully planned and usually maintained regularly for health and fitness reasons.
Despite the recent outbursts in popularity of the IF practice, people have known and used fasting for millennia. On one side, fasting activates some processes in the body that are in place as a survival mechanism. In other words, when men could not count on supermarkets and restaurants, we used to hunt and pick our own food from the woods. Whenever shortages of resources occurred, our bodies were naturally forced into fasting. On the other side, the benefits of fasting have been known for millennia, and used especially in ancient practices for healing and detoxifying. Since fasting has results both on the body and the mind, it makes sense that certain religions, such as Islam and Buddhism, include fasting among their purifying and introspective practices.
One of the reasons why IF is so widely practiced is its simplicity. Intermittent fasting is not about what to eat, but rather about when you eat. Of course, this should not be used as an excuse to follow an unhealthy diet. The quality of the food you consume will still affect your health. However, the two main phases outlined in any IF plan are the fasting window and the eating window. During the fasting window, you ideally consume no calories. You can drink water, and even some black coffee or green tea. However, this is the time for your body to focus on healing and self-regeneration, rather than digestion. The eating window, generally lasting 8 hours or less, is the timeframe when you can consume calories.
The most popular intermittent fasting plan is also called the Leangains protocol, and it is divided into a daily 16-hour fasting window, followed by an 8-hour eating window. Some people start with a slight variation, which is called the 14:10 plan. Generally speaking, it is advised to start gradually, so even fasting 12 hours a day might make you feel different if you’re used to having dinner late and eating breakfast first thing in the morning.
There are a lot of fears related to the efficacy of IF for different individuals and conditions. Since we focus primarily on heart health on our blog, this is the first question we want to address. So far, much research has shown that intermittent fasting can only benefit the heart. Indeed, not only does it decrease total and bad cholesterol levels, but it also has effects on triglycerides, acting as a great ally to improve the results of your next heart health screening.
Okay, so what about blood pressure? Here’s how fasting works in people affected by heart issues and high blood pressure. When we fast for longer than 12 hours, the body goes into a state where it can prioritize healing and tissue regeneration processes. Since it doesn’t need to employ much energy for digesting food, it can go into repair mode. This has an effect on our overall health, since constantly digesting food is stressful for the organism. By reducing stress levels and enhancing the ability of cells to clean up the body from within, systemic inflammation is lowered. Studies have seen various inflammation markers decrease with intermittent fasting, which is a very helpful effect for people who suffer from high blood pressure and chronic diseases.
Yes, it can! In fact, fasting not only decreases “bad” LDL cholesterol levels but also helps the body produce more “good” HDL cholesterol, especially in people who are overweight or obese. Since fasting also helps reduce waist circumference and fat mass, it is likely to be a good strategy to test for a couple of months if you are worried about your blood tests going south.
It is important to know that people affected by diabetes should pay special attention to major lifestyle changes, always consulting with their doctor first before making any sudden decisions. However, studies have also outlined the benefits of intermittent fasting for blood sugar and in diabetic individuals.
Picture this: you are constantly snacking and fueling your body with carbs. Your pancreas is producing insulin non-stop, and your body never has more than a few hours to stop processing the food you gave it and go into regeneration mode. What happens? Likely, insulin receptors will become gradually less sensitive to insulin, and blood sugar levels will, on average, become higher. At this point, you either keep going until you develop Type II diabetes or change something before you crash into becoming insulin-resistant. Luckily, intermittent fasting is quite a simple method to significantly reduce blood sugar levels. By reducing insulin resistance, IF makes your body more sensitive to the effects of insulin. This not only can protect you from developing Type II diabetes, but can also help your body naturally stabilize blood sugar levels, along with cravings and energy levels.
Despite fasting being a great way to control blood sugar levels, people affected by diabetes should be careful in creating unusual spikes and drops in blood sugar. Since the first days and weeks of fasting are challenging for the body to adjust to, diabetic individuals could face dangerous consequences if they go into either hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. Always consult with your doctor if you have any special health conditions.
While intermittent fasting is generally safe for most people, some studies show women should consider their health status before trying too extreme fasting regimens. As we’ve seen, the most common IF protocol is the 16:8; however, some people follow modified fasting schedules, such as the 5:2, where you consume only 500-600 calories on 2 days of the week, and eat normally the rest of the days. Other people even fast entirely just one day of the week, or might fast completely for 2-3 days once a month. All in all, the point is that women might not see the same benefits from these practices as men do.
Since the female body is highly susceptible to external conditions when it comes to keeping a hormonal balance, extreme fasting practices can easily mess up with their hormones. If you are a woman and currently wish to lose some weight, then gradually working your way up to a basic intermittent fasting protocol might be a good idea. However, make sure you check in with your body and ensure your period remains present, and side effects don’t become too unbearable. They might include headaches, cravings, drops in energy, and fatigue. Women who are breastfeeding or pregnant should not attempt to fast. On the other hand, women affected by PCOS have been shown to benefit from intermittent fasting. Regardless of the studies, you should always consult with your doctor before fasting if you have any specific health conditions.
Many studies have shown the clear link between fasting and fat loss. In one way, weight control is also the direct result of the effects seen earlier. But there’s more. Intermittent fasting leads to the production of a hormone called norepinephrine, which is able to support natural metabolic functions and increase the number of calories burnt throughout the day. While fat mass decreases, muscle mass seems to be more easily retained with fasting. In other words, fasting can help improve your overall body composition.
The reason why intermittent fasting is so helpful for fat loss isn’t just about its effects on blood sugar and insulin. Even if it might be challenging in the beginning, hunger hormones adapt in a few weeks to the new stimuli. So, if you change your usual eating times, your body will start craving food at the new hours. If your goal is to lose weight, the best thing you can do is to eat at regular times and focus on fresh, local, seasonal whole foods. Besides, remember to drink plenty of water, and try to experiment with different eating windows to find the one that works for you. For most people, consuming food between 12pm and 8pm is the easiest way. For others, it might work better to have breakfast at 7am and eat only until 3pm. If you wish to implement the 16:8 fasting protocol, just make sure you increase your fasting window gradually from where you are. One or two extra hours of fasting per week might be ideal to give your body some time to adjust.
Given all we’ve covered in this article, it is clear that some solutions offer more benefits than others. However, intermittent fasting is not a one-size-fits-all approach. IF might work in a specific period of life, or might serve you to reach specific health goals. However, it might be challenging to adhere to a strict fasting plan if you also want to enjoy social occasions with some flexibility. For this reason, and more, we advise you to seek the general fasting lifestyle that works better for you, without aiming for perfection. Giving the body more than 12 hours to fast daily is a great place to start if you only want to improve your health and wellness in a sustainable way. But if you feel like experimenting a bit, and seeing how your body reacts, feel free to pick another fasting program, and follow it for a few weeks before deciding how you feel, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
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