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Does intermittent fasting increase or decrease our risk of cancer?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amali-cooray-1482458">Amali Cooray</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/wehi-walter-and-eliza-hall-institute-of-medical-research-822"><em>WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)</em></a></em></p> <p>Research over the years has suggested intermittent fasting has the potential to improve our health and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3946160/">reduce the likelihood</a> of developing cancer.</p> <p>So what should we make of a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07840-z">new study</a> in mice suggesting fasting increases the risk of cancer?</p> <h2>What is intermittent fasting?</h2> <p>Intermittent fasting means switching between times of eating and not eating. Unlike traditional diets that focus on <em>what</em> to eat, this approach focuses on <em>when</em> to eat.</p> <p>There are lots of commonly used <a href="https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/health-advice/intermittent-fasting">intermittent fasting schedules</a>. The 16/8 plan means you only eat within an eight-hour window, then fast for the remaining 16 hours. Another popular option is the 5:2 diet, where you eat normally for five days then restrict calories for two days.</p> <p>In Australia, poor diet contributes to <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/food-and-nutrition/what-were-doing">7% of all cases of disease</a>, including coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cancers of the bowel and lung. Globally, poor diet is linked to <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(19)30041-8/fulltext">22% of deaths</a> in adults over the age of 25.</p> <p>Intermittent fasting has gained a lot of attention in recent years for its potential health benefits. Fasting <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/metabolism">influences metabolism</a>, which is how your body processes food and energy. It can affect how the body absorbs nutrients from food and burns energy from sugar and fat.</p> <h2>What did the new study find?</h2> <p>The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07840-z">new study</a>, published in Nature, found when mice ate again after fasting, their <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s12276-024-01179-1">gut stem cells</a>, which help repair the intestine, became more active. The stem cells were better at regenerating compared with those of mice who were either totally fasting or eating normally.</p> <p>This suggests the body might be better at healing itself when eating after fasting.</p> <p>However, this could also have a downside. If there are <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/genetics/genetic-changes-infographic">genetic mutations</a> present, the burst of stem cell-driven regeneration after eating again might make it easier for cancer to develop.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4027058/">Polyamines</a> – small molecules important for cell growth – drive this regeneration after refeeding. These polyamines can be produced by the body, influenced by diet, or come from gut bacteria.</p> <p>The findings suggest that while fasting and refeeding can improve stem cell function and regeneration, there might be a tradeoff with an increased risk of cancer, especially if fasting and refeeding cycles are repeated over time.</p> <p>While this has been shown in mice, the link between intermittent fasting and cancer risk in humans is more complicated and not yet fully understood.</p> <h2>What has other research found?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064634">Studies in animals</a> have found intermittent fasting can help with weight loss, improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and subsequently <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27810402/">reduce the risks</a> of diabetes and heart disease.</p> <p>Research in humans <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2811116">suggests</a> intermittent fasting can reduce body weight, improve <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9361187/">metabolic health</a>, reduce inflammation, and enhance <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3946160/">cellular repair processes</a>, which remove damaged cells that could potentially turn cancerous.</p> <p>However, other studies warn that the benefits of intermittent fasting are the same as what can be achieved through <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2623528">calorie restriction</a>, and that there <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2161831322007542">isn’t enough evidence</a> to confirm it reduces cancer risk in humans.</p> <h2>What about in people with cancer?</h2> <p>In studies of people who have cancer, fasting has been <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2815756/">reported to</a> protect against the side effects of chemotherapy and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7311547/">improve the effectiveness</a> of cancer treatments, while decreasing damage to healthy cells.</p> <p>Prolonged fasting in some patients who have cancer has been shown to be safe and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34383300/">may potentially</a> be able to decrease tumour growth.</p> <p>On the other hand, some experts advise caution. Studies in mice show intermittent fasting could <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41423-023-01033-w">weaken the immune system</a> and make the body less able to fight infection, potentially leading to worse health outcomes in people who are unwell. However, there is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8757987/">currently no evidence</a> that fasting increases the risk of bacterial infections in humans.</p> <h2>So is it OK to try intermittent fasting?</h2> <p>The current view on intermittent fasting is that it can be beneficial, but experts agree more research is needed. Short-term benefits such as weight loss and better overall health are well supported. But we don’t fully understand the long-term effects, especially when it comes to cancer risk and other immune-related issues.</p> <p>Since there are many different methods of intermittent fasting and people react to them differently, it’s hard to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41423-023-01033-w">give advice that works for everyone</a>. And because most people who participated in the studies were overweight, or had diabetes or other health problems, we don’t know how the results apply to the broader population.</p> <p>For healthy people, intermittent fasting is generally considered safe. But it’s <a href="https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/health-advice/intermittent-fasting">not suitable for everyone</a>, particularly those with certain medical conditions, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and people with a history of eating disorders. So consult your health-care provider before starting any fasting program.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/238071/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amali-cooray-1482458">Amali Cooray</a>, PhD Candidate in Genetic Engineering and Cancer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/wehi-walter-and-eliza-hall-institute-of-medical-research-822">WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-intermittent-fasting-increase-or-decrease-our-risk-of-cancer-238071">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Does intermittent fasting have benefits for our brain?

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hayley-oneill-1458016">Hayley O'Neill</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a></em></p> <p>Intermittent fasting has become a popular dietary approach to help people lose or manage their <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8683964/">weight</a>. It has also been promoted as a way to reset metabolism, control chronic disease, slow ageing and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27810402">improve overall health</a>.</p> <p>Meanwhile, some research suggests intermittent fasting may offer a different way for the brain to access energy and provide protection against neurodegenerative diseases like <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11011-023-01288-2">Alzheimer’s disease</a>.</p> <p>This is not a new idea – the ancient Greeks believed fasting <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8839325/">enhanced thinking</a>. But what does the modern-day evidence say?</p> <h2>First, what is intermittent fasting?</h2> <p>Our <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35487190/">diets</a> – including calories consumed, macronutrient composition (the ratios of fats, protein and carbohydrates we eat) and when meals are consumed – are factors in our lifestyle we can change. People do this for cultural reasons, desired weight loss or potential health gains.</p> <p>Intermittent fasting consists of short periods of calorie (energy) restriction where food intake is limited for 12 to 48 hours (usually 12 to 16 hours per day), followed by periods of normal food intake. The intermittent component means a re-occurrence of the pattern rather than a “one off” fast.</p> <p>Food deprivation beyond 24 hours typically constitutes starvation. This is distinct from fasting due to its specific and potentially harmful biochemical alterations and nutrient deficiencies if continued for long periods.</p> <h2>4 ways fasting works and how it might affect the brain</h2> <p>The brain accounts for about <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-much-energy-do-we-expend-thinking-and-using-our-brain-197990">20% of the body’s energy consumption</a>.</p> <p>Here are four ways intermittent fasting can act on the body which could help explain its potential effects on the brain.</p> <p><strong>1. Ketosis</strong></p> <p>The goal of many intermittent fasting routines is to flip a “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5913738/">metabolic switch</a>” to go from burning predominately carbohydrates to burning fat. This is called ketosis and typically occurs after 12–16 hours of fasting, when liver and glycogen stores are depleted. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493179/">Ketones</a> – chemicals produced by this metabolic process – become the preferred energy source for the brain.</p> <p>Due to this being a slower metabolic process to produce energy and potential for lowering blood sugar levels, ketosis can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10844723/">cause symptoms</a> of hunger, fatigue, nausea, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8754590/">low mood</a>, irritability, constipation, headaches, and brain “fog”.</p> <p>At the same time, as glucose metabolism in the brain declines with ageing, studies have shown ketones could provide an alternative energy source to <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aau2095">preserve brain function</a> and prevent <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32709961/">age-related neurodegeneration disorders and cognitive decline</a>.</p> <p>Consistent with this, increasing ketones through <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31027873/">supplementation</a> or <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31757576/">diet</a> has been shown to improve cognition in adults with mild cognitive decline and those at risk of Alzheimer’s disease respectively.</p> <p><strong>2. Circadian syncing</strong></p> <p>Eating at times that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32480126/">don’t match our body’s natural daily rhythms</a> can disrupt how our organs work. Studies in shift workers have suggested this might also make us more prone to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22010477/">chronic disease</a>.</p> <p>Time-restricted eating is when you eat your meals within a six to ten-hour window during the day when you’re most active. Time-restricted eating causes changes in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36599299/">expression of genes in tissue</a> and helps the body during rest and activity.</p> <p>A 2021 <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7827225/">study of 883 adults</a> in Italy indicated those who restricted their food intake to ten hours a day were less likely to have cognitive impairment compared to those eating without time restrictions.</p> <p><strong>3. Mitochondria</strong></p> <p>Intermittent fasting may provide <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35218914/">brain protection</a> through improving mitochondrial function, metabolism and reducing oxidants.</p> <p>Mitochondria’s <a href="https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Mitochondria">main role is to produce energy</a> and they are crucial to brain health. Many age-related diseases are closely related to an energy supply and demand imbalance, likely attributed to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-021-00626-7">mitochondrial dysfunction during ageing</a>.</p> <p>Rodent studies suggest alternate day fasting or reducing calories <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1038/jcbfm.2014.114">by up to 40%</a> might protect or improve <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21861096">brain mitochondrial function</a>. But not all studies support this theory.</p> <p><strong>4. The gut-brain axis</strong></p> <p>The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469458/">gut and the brain communicate with each other</a> via the body’s nervous systems. The brain can influence how the gut feels (think about how you get “butterflies” in your tummy when nervous) and the gut can affect mood, cognition and mental health.</p> <p>In mice, intermittent fasting has shown promise for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5913738/">improving brain health</a> by increasing survival and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12354284/">formation of neurons</a> (nerve cells) in the hippocampus brain region, which is involved in memory, learning and emotion.</p> <p>There’s <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8470960/">no clear evidence</a> on the effects of intermittent fasting on cognition in healthy adults. However one 2022 study interviewed 411 older adults and found <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9646955/">lower meal frequency</a> (less than three meals a day) was associated with reduced evidence of Alzheimer’s disease on brain imaging.</p> <p>Some research has suggested calorie restriction may have a protective effect against <a href="https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/81/9/1225/7116310">Alzheimer’s disease</a> by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation and promoting vascular health.</p> <p>When we look at the effects of overall energy restriction (rather than intermittent fasting specifically) the evidence is mixed. Among people with mild cognitive impairment, one study showed <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26713821/">cognitive improvement</a> when participants followed a calorie restricted diet for 12 months.</p> <p>Another study found a 25% calorie restriction was associated with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30968820">slightly improved working memory</a> in healthy adults. But a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316623025221?via%3Dihub">recent study</a>, which looked at the impact of calorie restriction on spatial working memory, found no significant effect.</p> <h2>Bottom line</h2> <p>Studies in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9740746/">mice</a> support a role for intermittent fasting in improving brain health and ageing, but few studies in humans exist, and the evidence we have is mixed.</p> <p>Rapid weight loss associated with calorie restriction and intermittent fasting can lead to nutrient deficiencies, muscle loss, and decreased immune function, particularly in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8749464/">older adults</a> whose nutritional needs may be higher.</p> <p>Further, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6314618/">prolonged fasting</a> or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9042193/">severe calorie restriction</a> may pose risks such as fatigue, dizziness, and electrolyte imbalances, which could exacerbate existing health conditions.</p> <p>If you’re considering <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMra1905136?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed">intermittent fasting</a>, it’s best to seek advice from a health professional such as a dietitian who can provide guidance on structuring fasting periods, meal timing, and nutrient intake. This ensures intermittent fasting is approached in a safe, sustainable way, tailored to individual needs and goals.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223181/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hayley-oneill-1458016">Hayley O'Neill</a>, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-intermittent-fasting-have-benefits-for-our-brain-223181">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty </em></p>

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Does it matter what time of day I eat? And can intermittent fasting improve my health? Here’s what the science says

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/frederic-gachon-1379094">Frederic Gachon</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/meltem-weger-1408599">Meltem Weger</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p>Early hunter-gatherers faced long periods of fasting. Their <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35834774/">access to food</a> relied on successful hunting, fishing, and the availability of wild plants.</p> <p>Over time, the development of modern agriculture and the transition to industrialised societies <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35834774/">changed our regular eating patterns</a>, shifting our dinner time to later in the day to accommodate work schedules.</p> <p>Today, with access to an abundance of food, we rarely experience prolonged periods of fasting, except for weight loss or religious practices. It’s <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26411343/">now common</a> to have four or more meals a day, with the most calories consumed later in the day. Frequent snacking is also common, over a window of around 15 hours.</p> <p>However, research increasingly shows our health is not only affected by what and how much we eat, but also <em>when</em> we eat. So what does this mean for meal scheduling? And can intermittent fasting help?</p> <h2>Our body clock controls more than our sleep</h2> <p>Our internal biological timekeeper, or circadian clock, regulates many aspects of our physiology and behaviour. It tells us to be awake and active during the day, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-it-matter-what-time-i-go-to-bed-198146">rest and sleep</a> during the night. It can also tell us the best time to eat.</p> <p>Our body is biologically prepared to have food during the day. Food digestion, nutrient uptake and energy metabolism is optimised to occur when we’re supposed to be active and eating.</p> <p>Working against this default stage, by regularly eating when we’re supposed to sleep and fast, can compromise these processes and impact our health. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31813351/">Erratic eating patterns</a>, including late-night meals, have been linked to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36198293/">weight gain</a> and a greater risk of metabolic disease.</p> <p>Shift-workers, for example, and people who work evening, night or rotating shifts, have a <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-night-shift-increase-the-risk-of-cancer-diabetes-and-heart-disease-heres-what-we-know-so-far-190652">higher risk</a> of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.</p> <p>But adopting an eating pattern that aligns with our circadian rhythm can reduce these risks.</p> <h2>So can intermittent fasting help?</h2> <p>Nutritional interventions are increasingly focused not only on “what” we eat but also “when”. Intermittent fasting is one way to restrict the timing, rather than the content, of what we eat.</p> <p>There are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35834774/">several types</a> of intermittent fasting, one of which is time-restricted eating. This means eating all our calories in a consistent 8-12 hour, or even shorter, interval each day.</p> <p>But is it backed by evidence?</p> <p>Most of what we know today about intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating is from <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35834774/">mouse studies</a>, which demonstrate remarkable weight loss and overall health benefits associated with these types of dietary interventions.</p> <p>However, some aspects of mouse physiology can be different to humans. Mice need to eat more frequently than humans and even a short period of fasting has a more significant physiological impact on mice. One day of fasting in mice leads to a 10% <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212877820301320">loss of body weight</a>, whereas humans would need to fast for 14 days to achieve <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30881957/">similar results</a>. This makes a direct translation from mice to humans more complicated.</p> <p>While health benefits of <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2623528">intermittent fasting</a> and <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2114833">time-restricted eating</a> have also been observed in humans, the findings in respect of weight loss are less clear. Current data suggest only modest, if any, weight loss in human participants who undergo these diet regimens when compared to calorie-restricted diets.</p> <p>Drawing <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35834774/">definitive conclusions</a> in humans may be more <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32480126/">difficult</a> because of the small sample sizes and individual differences in metabolism, variations in study design (such as the use of different protocols with varying times and duration of food restriction), and participants not complying with their instructions.</p> <h2>Health benefits could be due to eating fewer calories</h2> <p>Most studies describing the health benefits of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33466692/#:%7E:text=and%20Future%20Perspectives-,Time%2DRestricted%20Eating%20and%20Metabolic%20Syndrome%3A%20Current%20Status%20and%20Future,doi%3A%2010.3390%2Fnu13010221.">time restricted eating</a> or <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27569118/">intermittent fasting</a> also found these diets were accompanied by calorie restriction: reducing the time of food access implicitly leads people to eat less.</p> <p>Studies that controlled calorie intake did not detect any more benefits of intermittent fasting than <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2623528">calorie restriction</a> alone.</p> <p>The weight loss and health benefits observed with intermittent fasting is likely attributed due to the resultant reduction in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34135111/">calorie intake</a>. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32986097/">Similar findings</a> have been reported for time-restricted eating.</p> <h2>Benefit of following our body clock</h2> <p>Nevertheless, time-restricted eating offers additional health benefits in humans, such as improved glucose metabolism and blood pressure, even without differences in calorie intake, in particular when restricted to the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29754952/">earlier part of the day</a> (that is, when having a six-hour eating window with dinner before 3pm).</p> <p>Restricting food intake to the daytime for shift-workers <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28635334/">can alleviate</a> metabolic differences caused by shift-work, whereas this effect is not observed when food intake is restricted to <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abg9910">nighttime</a>.</p> <p>One idea is that consuming food early, in alignment with our circadian rhythm, helps to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28578930/">synchronise our circadian clock</a>. This restores the rhythm of our autonomous nervous system, which regulates essential functions such as breathing and heart rate, to keep our physiology “tuned”, as it was shown <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2015873118">in mice</a>.</p> <p>While there’s much still to learn from research in this field, the evidence suggests that to maintain a healthy weight and overall wellbeing, aim for regular, nutritious meals during the day, while avoiding late-night eating and frequent snacking.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203762/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/frederic-gachon-1379094">Frederic Gachon</a>, Associate Professor, Physiology of Circadian Rhythms, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/meltem-weger-1408599">Meltem Weger</a>, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-it-matter-what-time-of-day-i-eat-and-can-intermittent-fasting-improve-my-health-heres-what-the-science-says-203762">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Why I practise intermittent fasting

<p><em><strong>Donald Trafton, 81, strolled into his 80th year feeling as alive and vital as ever. It wasn’t a fluke, nor the luck of having good genes. He planned for it, developing a very healthy lifestyle that he’s always fine-tuning. He shares his tips for healthy and happy ageing at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://being80.com/" target="_blank">Being 80</a></span>.</strong></em></p> <p>My wife Victoria and I have been practicing intermittent fasting (IF) for about six months now… with very beneficial results. Don’t you think it’s about time I shared this easy-to-do, beneficial practice with you?</p> <p>According to the publication <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.health.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-diet" target="_blank">health.com</a></span></strong>, “IF is occasional starvation done in a strategic way. Fasting may improve your overall health and extend your life, likely due to the ways that it affects cell and hormone function, according to several studies”.</p> <p>By the way, neither of us feel “starved” in our IF practice, so please don’t reject the idea of periodically skipping a meal, or limiting your eating to certain hours of the day. It’s easier than you may think.</p> <p><br /> An <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2017/02/17/intermittent-fasting-promotes-health-longevity.aspx" target="_blank">excellent article</a></strong></span> on IF by Dr Joseph Mercola says in part:</p> <p>“Intermittent fasting gives your body more time to effectively digest what you are eating and eliminate waste. Many biological repair processes take place when your body is in the ‘rest,’ not the ‘digest,’ mode, which is why all-day grazing is a bad for you.</p> <p>The type of intermittent fasting I recommend and personally use involves restricting your daily eating schedule to a specific window of time. Based on the experimenting I have done in recent years, I suggest a six- to eight-hour timeframe in which to consume your daily food intake.</p> <p>Intermittent fasting provides a number of health benefits that most people need, and you and your body are worthy of all of them:<br />     •    Gets rid of stubborn weight and sugar cravings by activating your fat-burning mode <br />     •    Builds muscle and promotes overall health and wellness<br />     •    Enhances brain health and helps prevent neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s<br />     •    Reduces oxidative stress and fights aging, diseases like cancer and stress<br />     •    Delivers an array of physiologic benefits, including lowering triglycerides, reducing inflammation and lessening free-radical damage.”</p> <p>The type of IF program we practice involves an eight-hour (8:00am – 4:00pm) window to consume our daily food intake, then 16 hours (until 8:00am the next morning) with no food intake (only water and tea). We do this once or twice a week.  The 16 hour fasting period seams to provide ample time for all the good gut repairs.</p> <p>Caution: IF is not for everyone. So, while we leaped into the program, we’re advising you to read <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2017/02/17/intermittent-fasting-promotes-health-longevity.aspx" target="_blank">Dr. Mercola’s entire article</a></strong></span>, especially “Making Good Food Choices Is Still Important, Important Contraindications for Fasting and If You Take Medication Use Caution When Fasting.” And, maybe even check with your doctor before you start your own practice.</p> <p>So, what are you thinking about an IF program for yourself? Willing to check it out? I hope so. It’s been great for Victoria and me. I’d  love to hear from you.</p> <p><em>Find more from Donald at his website, </em><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.being80.com/" target="_blank">www.being80.com</a></span></em>. </strong></p>

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