19 May Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Google released their most searched diet of 2019 and topping at number 1 was Intermittent Fasting. Many big name celebrities have been open about liking the diet themselves which has led people to a lot of questions about what the diet is and what the benefits are. Unlike many diets you may have tried in the past, Intermittent Fasting is not a diet but a schedule or a tool for the times you can and cannot eat. IF is a way of eating where you cycle between windows of eating and fasting. A few benefits of Intermittent Fasting include the ones below.
- Help with weight loss. Shortening the window of time during the day that you eat can reduce your number of calories that you consume during the day. This allows you to not focus as much on counting calories for every meal but the ability to focus on eating good quality foods during your window of eating. You will ultimately reduce your calorie intake without having to think too hard about it. However, keep in mind, this does not mean you can eat whatever you want if weight loss is your goal, but you do have a little more freedom to not worry as much about counting calories at every single meal and snack.
- May extend life span. In one study done on mice, intermittent fasting was shown to increase the life span of female mice. Scientist do not know the reasons why it may lengthen life span and human studies are limited.
- May reduce inflammation. Animal studies have also shown that intermittent fasting can reduce inflammation levels. Studies have also wanted to know if this proved to be true in humans as well. In a study, scientists studied participants that were fasting for Ramadan and found that their inflammatory markers were lower as well as blood pressure, body weight and fat.
There is still more research to be done on the benefits of Intermittent Fasting but if you are looking for any of the benefits above, talk to your healthcare provider to see if IF may be right for you.
