Over
the past couple years, intermittent fasting has gained significant attention
for its potential role in weight loss, but recent research suggests there may
be far more benefits to the strategy than just whittling your middle — it’s
possible it might even extend your life.
In a review article published in The New England Journal of Medicine, numerous
intermittent fasting plans were looked at and they concluded that two, in
particular, are especially effective: either restricting your eating time to a
6–8 hour window every day, or a technique called 5:2 fasting that involves
eating normally for five days and then eating only one moderate-sized meal two
days per week.
SOLID RESEARCH
Why
would something as simple as not eating for a big chunk of time help you live
longer? The answer lies in the breadth of benefits that have been found in both
animal and human studies.
For example, fasting has shown improvements in blood pressure and resting heart
rate, making it advantageous for cardiovascular health. Several studies have
also suggested it may be effective for weight loss, which can help prevent
obesity and diabetes — which have both been connected to shorter lifespans.
A 2018 study done on mice showed that when animals ate only one meal per day,
and therefore had a longer fasting period, they not only had longer lifespans,
but also demonstrated considerably less risk for age-related liver disease and
metabolic disorders.
In this review studies indicate fasting improves blood sugar regulation, lowers
inflammation and increases resistance to stress. All of those can have
significant effects when it comes to longevity.
PLAYING WITH TIME
Like any strategy that involves changing how you eat, individual results will vary, especially if you make some initial missteps like overeating during your “food window,” choosing unhealthy foods, being sedentary and making drastic changes.
Also, keep in mind that you may need to play around with variations on intermittent fasting to find what works best for you. Although the study indicated that the time-restricted window of 6–8 hours or the 5:2 approach seemed the most effective, neither of those might be the best fit for you, and that’s OK. You can still do intermittent fasting using a different tactic.
When you’re getting started, it’s much better to see this as a long-term strategy and experiment with different schedules, rather than think you need to stick to one specific schedule because that’s what worked for a friend or family member.
GETTING STARTED
Intermittent
fasting doesn’t involve specific foods, but rather, a strict schedule regarding
when you eat. That said, it’s a great opportunity to overhaul your diet if
you’ve been getting a little too junk-food-reliant lately.
One major advantage to intermittent fasting is that it can be part of any
eating plan you’re following like low-carb, ketogenic, Paleo or something else.
It can also be a nice kick off to changing your eating habits to include
healthy foods if you’re not doing that already.
The easiest way to try intermittent fasting is to do the most common variation
first which is an 8-hour block, followed by fasting time that includes sleep.
For example, “breaking your fast” — which is how breakfast got its name, after
all — at 9 a.m. and having dinner at 5 p.m. and then not eating again until the
next morning.
Not only can this confer the benefits already mentioned, but it also gives you
additional advantages in terms of digestion and sleep quality, since going to
bed on a fairly empty stomach has been shown to be better for both of those
issues.
Even if you decide not to do this type of strategy, you’ll probably
create more awareness around your food and that is always a good thing.
