January 31, 2024

Intermittent fasting diet or intermittent fasting

By Naturale Bio

intermittent fasting diet or intermittent fasting: There has been a lot of talk about it both in medical circles and on social media for years now. Many studies have been conducted at an international level, with prominent personalities who have often underlined how controlled and well-planned fasting, done methodically at specific times, can bring benefits to the body.

Professor Umberto Veronesi has always supported the effectiveness of food deprivation once a week, as has the Italian-American nutritionist and biologist Valter Longo spoke of a “fasting-mimicking” diet, with a controlled reduction in calorie intake for 5 days every 3 months.

The extreme is the one proposed by the Japanese doctor Yoshinori Nagumo, a supporter of fasting not so much on a metabolic level and with a view to weight loss, but precisely as an element of longevity and prevention of many diseases. According to the Japanese scholar, you should even eatonly once a day, without exaggerating, preferably in the evening.

They also talk about it Matt Manson, neuroscientist from Johns Hopkins University, and Rafael de Cabo, gerontologist from the National Institute of Aging in Baltimore, always in relation to longevity and prevention of degenerative diseases.

Many different and similar ideas at the same time: but what does the intermittent fasting diet consist of?

Intermittent fasting diet: different methods

First of all, never rely on DIY. Especially with such a particular and "tough" diet for the body: getting information online is NOT enough, always ask for advice from an expert nutritionist before starting any type of diet.

Having made this necessary premise, let's see what the different existing approaches to intermittent fasting are:

Method 5:2 – It consists of eating normally for 5 days a week, without excluding any food but just paying attention to having a varied, balanced diet and without too many excesses. These 5 days of "ordinary" eating are interspersed with 2 days of pseudo-fasting, in which approximately ¼ of the calories are consumed compared to a normal day. For example, if you consume around 2000kcal for 5 days, in the 2 days of fasting you will only consume 500;
Method 16/8 – It means focusing on the times of the day, extending the overnight fast. In practice, breakfast is skipped and the first meal of the day is consumed at midday, while the second is eaten around six in the afternoon. Two daily meals, therefore, in a time window of 8 hours, followed by 16 hours of complete fasting (you can, obviously, drink water, green tea or herbal teas).

Possible benefits of controlled fasting

Undoubtedly tiring to follow, this diet seems to have positive impacts on some aspects, from the point of view of general health. It is not a way to lose weight quickly, as many understand it, but according to scientists it would have positive influences on:

Cellular aging, thanks to the so-called autophagy, i.e. the self-elimination of old and damaged cells, triggered by fasting;
Reduction in blood pressure, lipids and excess sugars in the blood, although obviously this is impacted not only by how much/when you eat, but above all by what you eat:
Inflammatory levels, eating less and less often would reduce the body's general inflammatory levels and stress, also because eating dinner very early would improve the quality of sleep (on this, lovers of pre-bedtime snack they would have something to say!)

Contraindications and risks of intermittent fasting

intermittent fasting is absolutely not recommended for anyone with previous and chronic illnesses, whether physical or psychological type, from diabetes to digestive problems, from cardiovascular pathologies toeating disorders.

Among the most common contraindications there are some "chemical" imbalances, especially in the first days of starting this journey, which can lead to being very hungry, having mood swings and attacks ofirritability and nervousness.

It is important to remember that, in any case, even if correctly followed under medical observation, the intermittent fasting diet cannot and must not be constant over time but followed for short periods and interspersed with a "normal" diet.

Sources and insights: