Scientists claimed that intermittent fasting has many health benefits. They reviewed the already existing evidence on the intermittent fasting diet that restricts the time of eating.
A Johns Hopkins Medicine neuroscientist, Mark Mattson adopted an intermittent fasting diet for himself 20 years ago, and his fellows reviewed studies involving humans and animals.
Intermittent fasting includes prolonged periods in which the individual doesn’t eat. The most common types are fasting on alternate-day where he food is restricted or cut every next day; 5:2 in which one meal of 500 to 700 calorie is consumed in two days per week; and daily-time restricted meal, where an individual will eat during a specific time, for example, eight hours.
The authors showed evidence of improvements in cognitive performance, physical performance, cardiovascular health, diabetes and obesity due to fasting. Studies involve animals like rats and in humans indicating that restricted eating triggers metabolic switching, in which source of energy in the body changes from sugars into fat which increased healthspan.
The level of ketones raised in the body when restricted food of 500 to 700 calories one or two days per week is eaten. This metabolic switch makes the metabolism more efficient and flexible is using energy. Ketones also regulated the activity and expression of proteins linked to aging and health and genes associated with neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.
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The authors claimed that the method prevents the body from free radicals. It also triggers the cellular responses in and between organs which aids with blood sugar regulation make bodies more resistant to inflammation and stress. The practice activates pathways that enhance the body defense system against stress and help to remove and repair the damaged molecules.
Intermittent fasting diet seems to show improvement in memories. The authors said that calorie-restriction and day fasting reversed the harmful effects of neuroinflammation, diabetes and helps in spatial learning and memory. It also demonstrates the improved running endurance in mice.
The research was conducted on people living on the Japanese island of Okinawa who was practice fasting reflect low rates of diabetes, obesity and increased life spans. The researchers said that there are indications of helping heart disease, prevents Alzheimer’s helps with the outcomes of different types of cancer and eases the symptoms of asthma.
The authors said that they lack a full understanding of specific mechanisms. The beneficial effects include cellular stress resistance and metabolic switching. They said that more researches are required for checking the complete safety and benefits in the populations which have not been studied yet, and most focus on the overweight middle-aged adults and younger people.
The authors said that intermittent fasting is not suitable for people suffering from long-term health problems or having a history of eating problems. They should avoid this. Health professionals recommend people talk to their doctors before adopting the regime.
The NEJM asked Mattson to write the articles as many patients are confused about intermittent fasting whether it would help them in losing weight or improve the symptoms of chronic disorders.
Both the overindulgent and the sedentary lifestyles are not healthy. Overweight people who are at higher risk of diabetes, heart problems, chronic inflammatory problems like asthma, arthritis, multiple sclerosis will benefit from the intermittent fasting.
