Intermittent fasting or Fasting: what it is and how to do it

By now you have probably heard of the intermittent fasting. Lately this is the order of the day nutritional strategy which is based on reducing the feeding window throughout the day.

Types of intermittent fasting

There are different types of intermittent fasting depending on the period of fasting or intake:

• fasting 12/12, 12 hours of fasting and 12 of eating.
• fast 8/16. 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating.
• I fast 24 hours. 24 hours fasting.
• I fast 48 hours. 48 hours fasting.

The most common form of intermittent fasting is called “Intermittent fasting 8/16” and consists of fasting for 16 hours and concentrating meals in the time slot from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

How intermittent fasting works

The physiological process that occurs during intermittent fasting is based on the activation of mechanisms to obtain energy that with our usual eating pattern are “hibernated”.

Our ancestors ate when they hunted or gathered, so they were forced to go on long fasts, activating these mechanisms often. In this way they are used fatty acids from adipose tissue and are produced ketone bodiesreplacing liver glycogen.

It must be taken into account that for the activation of these alternative forms of obtaining energy, at least 8-12 hours of fasting

9 Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Every time there is new research that points to the Benefits of intermittent fasting, and the vast majority of studies maintain that there are no detrimental effects on health if done correctly.

The benefits of intermittent fasting go beyond weight loss and the prevention of cardiovascular, neurological and oncological diseases associated with overweight and the obesity:

1. Improves the aging process. Thanks to the activation of metabolic pathways that improve resistance to metabolic and oxidative stress and cell repair.
2. Promotes autophagy. Process by which cells “recycle” cellular structures that are already defective or are not useful and that are involved in aging and various diseases.
3. Restores homeostasis. It produces an adaptive metabolic response that aims to restore homeostasis and confer greater resistance to new challenges through improved anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
4. Improves the course of some diseases. Research points to an improvement in obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia (high cholesterol and triglycerides), hypertension and inflammatory processes, having observed a positive impact on cardiovascular diseases, cancer and others such as asthma and multiple sclerosis.
5. Regulates hunger and satiety. This nutritional strategy regulates, among other hormones, the “satiety hormone” leptin. When eating in excess or with diets with too many sugars, leptin is released with greater intensity. This causes resistance to this hormone to be produced and it falls into a spiral whereby the brain stops recognizing it, losing the ability to feel satiety.
6. Reduce body fat. Studies show a considerable reduction in body fat due to the activation of the mechanisms of fasting, particularly abdominal fat.
7. Weightloss. By limiting the intake to a time slot, the calories that are ingested in the day are often reduced. In addition, when carrying out actions such as eliminating or delaying breakfast, especially caloric and unhealthy foods such as bread, cookies or pastries are removed from the diet.
8. Helps regulate the intestinal microbiota. During fasting, a periodic cleaning process is activated, whose function is to remove remains from digestion and unnecessary bacteria from the intestine, thus improving digestion, reducing gas, bloating and bacterial overgrowth.
9. Time saving. No less important is this benefit of fasting that means saving time in making meals and preparing them.

Risks of intermittent fasting

Keep in mind that not always indicated or adequately tolerated.

If not done correctly it can lead to:

• nutritional deficits and health consequences
• caloric surplus if you eat more calories than you should in the meal window.

The importance of good supervision

The strategy must be personalized according to the characteristics and objectives of the patient. Therefore, in order for it to be really beneficial for health and to achieve correct weight loss, it must be done under the supervision of a professional.

In Obymed, The team of nutritionists incorporate this and other nutritional strategies, personalizing the planning and nutritional re-education, thus achieving rapid and sustained weight loss over time.