Is intermittent fasting right for you?

Internet docs and nutritional gurus promote intermittent fasting as a way to lose weight and get healthy. The recommendations for intermittent fasting are often, for example, a 24-hour fast every week or sometimes for longer fasts, like a week-long water fast.

There are some real, science-based benefits to fasting.[ref] However, not everyone is going to feel the same when fasting.

Intermittent fasting

But is it right for you?

There is also the question of whether or not fasting is right for everyone and if there are any potential negative impacts on health. This article explores the potential benefits and drawbacks of fasting and whether or not it may be a good fit for an individual based on their genetic makeup.

Lifehacks:

There are many health benefits to periodic fasting, but if it isn’t right for you, there may be other ways to reap some of the benefits.[ref]

Time-restricted eating:

If fasting doesn’t work for you – especially if you carry the SCADD or MCADD mutations –  then the idea of time-restricted eating may appeal to you. Basically, this involves just eating during a certain ‘time window’ each day. Health benefits have been shown for eating during an 8 to 12-hour time slot. For example, begin your eating in the morning around 8 am and finish by 6 pm for a 10-hour eating window. Both mouse and human studies have shown that this has health benefits for insulin resistance and for weight loss.[ref][ref]

Support for fasting:

If you are wanting to try a longer fast, it may be beneficial to either join an online group or talk a friend into doing it with you. Support may keep you on track longer!

There are also fasting-mimicking diets and products that are geared towards keeping you on track with enough calorie restriction to still get the benefits of fasting.

6 ways to increase autophagy without fasting:

Related Articles and Topics:

Genes Involved in Autophagy:

Autophagy is a general term for cellular pathways that move something from the cytoplasm of the cell into the lysosome for degradation. The term comes from the Greek ‘auto’ (self) and ‘-phagy’ (to eat). So when you see articles touting ‘autophagy diets’ as the latest and greatest for longevity or beautiful skin, realize that the term is just a general one that applies to a cellular process that goes on all the time in our cells.

Short-chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency:

If you have tried fasting or a ketogenic diet and felt really horrible, this article may apply to you. The human body is wonderfully made and resilient enough to get energy from either carbs or fats — for most people. But there are certain genetic mutations that can cause people not to burn fat for energy as efficiently.