Is Intermittent Fasting A Trend Or A New Classic? Here's Everything You Need To Know, Including If It's Right For You

Jun 26, 2018

One of the hottest new fitness trends sweeping the community is intermittent fasting, or IF as its called by its supporters. Intermittent fasting is a diet and health trend in which the dieter only eats for a small number of set hours in the day, so they only eat one meal during the day and don't have to worry about calorie counting or portioning out meals throughout the day. Usually, this means just one big meal at the end of the day. 

With the rise in popularity of intermittent fasting, several popular methods have arisen. All of these methods involve "fasting periods", or the time in which the dieter doesn't eat at all, and "eating periods" in which the dieter is free to eat how much they want of any food. 

• The 5:2 Method is a diet in which the person eats normally for five days per week, but for the other two non-consecutive days, they only eat approximately 500 calories. This isn't as extreme as other intermittent fasting methods, so it can be a good method for beginners to start with. 
• Eat-Stop-Eat is another method in which the dieter fasts for a full 24 hours one to two times per week, but eats normally for the rest of the week. 
• 16/8 Method is a diet in which the eating period lasts for only eight hours each day with fasting periods lasting the rest of the day. For instance, someone may eat lunch at 12 p.m., snack throughout the day, and then have dinner before 8 p.m. while following the 16/8 method. 

Seasoned intermittent fasters warn beginners not to eat huge portions during their eating periods, as intermittent fasting only helps with weight loss due to the decrease in calories consumed throughout the day. 

One of the biggest health benefits of intermittent fasting is weight loss. For obese and overweight dieters, getting into a healthy BMI range comes with innumerable health benefits. 

Research shows that in addition to lowering the amount of calories dieters eat throughout the day, it may also help with weight loss by boosting metabolic rate by 3$ to 14%, which can be a huge help when trying to shed excess weight. 

Other research shows that intermittent fasting causes less muscle loss than traditional calorie restricting dieting, so dieters will stronger and leaner while losing weight. Remember that it is important to eat at a calorie deficit for the day, so eating huge meals during eating periods could lead to weight gain if portions are huge. 

Intermittent fasting also comes with other health benefits aside from weight loss. 

• Longer life: research with rats has shown that rats who fast regular can live longer than other rats, from 36% to 88%. While this tentative research may not transfer over directly to humans, fasting still has plenty of health benefits. 
• Alzheimer's prevention: Dieters who do intermittent fasting show an increase in BDNF, a brain hormone that might help with the growth of nerve cells, which could protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease. 
• Decrease insulin resistance: Intermittent fasting has been shown to aid with decreasing insulin resistance, which could help with the prevention of type 2 diabetes. 
• Heart disease prevention: Studies have shown that regular intermittent fasting may help reduce risk factors for heart disease, such as "bad" cholesterol, insulin resistance, inflammation, blood triglycerides, and blood sugar. 

Intermittent fasting isn't for everyone. Dieters who have medical conditions and special dietary needs must consult a doctor before beginning intermittent fasting, to ensure they remain healthy. This is especially important for those who are underweight or who've had eating disorders, take medications, have diabetes, have low blood sugar, is pregnant or breastfeeding, or those trying to become pregnant. 

There is no magic solution to lose weight and live a healthy life, but plenty of people are trying the popular trend of intermittent fasting due to its simplicity and huge health benefits. 

Would you or someone you know be brave enough to try intermittent fasting? If you're interested, spread the word so your friends can keep you honest!

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!