There have been alot of buzzing around the words Intermediate fasting. Many people have been using this method of dieting for months or years. Many people have lost weight from this form of dieting. I first heard about this a few years ago while studying weight loss diets and the first thing that came to mind is that if used correctly this could help many people lose weight. Second thing that came to mind is that this is not great for anyone that is trying to burn fat the natural way. Why? What do I mean exactly?
Well the human body is designed to burn fat whenever we eat. That comes from that little fairy called metabolism. Everytime we eat our metabolism kicks in a goes into fat burning mode. Now if we are not eating consistently how in the hell is our metabolism kicking in to burn fat? The answer is that it is not! We often get caught into the focus of fat vs weight. What most people want to do is burn pure body fat. How can we do that? Does that happen by fasting? What actions are taken once we stop eating for 16 or more hours in some cases?
Well there have a been a few studies done on this matter and im here to share with you my findings.
Researchers were prompted in their endeavor by older studies suggesting that fasting for a short period of time increases oxidative stress and the production of free radicals. (Oxidative stress reflects an imbalance between the systemic manifestation of reactive oxygen species and a biological system's ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or to repair the resulting damage). This researchers began the tests early 2017 in Brazil. I was shocked when I read the results.Oxidative stress and excessive levels of free radicals have been suggested to speed up the aging process and to damage our DNA, raising the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration. To find out whether intermittent fasting does indeed generate free radicals, Bonassa and her colleagues placed healthy, adult rats on the diet for a period of 3 months.
The amount of fat tissue in the rodents' abdomen increased. Belly fat has been shown by recent studies to be deeply linked with type 2 diabetes, with some research even suggesting a molecular mechanism through which the former may lead to the latter.
Additionally, researchers and colleagues found damage in the insulin-secreting pancreatic cells, as well as higher levels of free radicals and signs of insulin resistance.
The study's lead author comments on the findings, saying: "We should consider that overweight or obese people who opt for intermittent fasting diets may already have insulin resistance."Even though this diet may lead to early, rapid weight loss, in the long-term there could be potentially serious damaging effects to their health, such as the development of type 2 diabetes."
"This is the first study to show that, despite weight loss, intermittent fasting diets may actually damage the pancreas and affect insulin function in normal healthy individuals, which could lead to diabetes and serious health issues." Ana Cláudia Munhoz Bonassa- Leading the research
In future, the scientists plan to study in more detail the damaging effects of intermittent fasting on the normal functioning of the pancreas and the insulin hormone.
I hope that this blog is helpful to anyone that is considering or that is currently using this method of dieting.
I say no thank you to intermittent fasting. Please if you have any comments on this matter please leave a comment below or if you have any questions feel free to contact me.
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