Tag: restriction

Intermittent Fasting: Help or Harm?

 

Intermittent fasting simply means that you don’t eat for a period of time each day or week. Some popular approaches include:

Alternate-day fasting. Eat a normal diet one day and either completely fast or have one small meal (less than 500 calories) the next day.

5:2 fasting: Eat a normal diet five days a week and fast two days a week.

Daily time-restricted fasting. Eat normally but only within an eight-hour window each day. For example, skip breakfast but eat lunch around noon and dinner by 8 p.m.

Some research suggests that intermittent fasting may be more beneficial than other diets for reducing inflammation itself, and improving conditions associated with inflammation such as Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis, and stroke. Studies with a number of animal species have reported that fasting (or calorie restriction) leads to a longer and healthier lives.

There is a lot of confusing advice about whether intermittent fasting is a healthy eating pattern. The following article presents a common sense approach.

One thing is becoming certain. We eat too much and finding safe and healthy ways to combat this trend would seem practical in our society with its concomitant problem of the obesity/diabesity epidemics.

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Eat Less for a Longer Life?

Calorie restriction has been shown to extend lifespan in many animal species. Even though the following article is an animal (rat) study, it is very interesting since it goes further than most studies by examining the effects on the body cells themselves of a calorie restricted diet versus a control group with no calorie restriction.

Some people find this easier to do with the practice of intermittent fasting (or time-restricted) eating patterns. It is suggested that you consult your physician with any restrictive diet (e.g., Keto) since it is imperative we still get all the proper nutrients we need for optimum health.

An alternative could be is to consult a certified nutritionist or health coach.  Be careful who you might choose for nutrition information. Unfortunately, some practitioners in the nutrition community offer services that are highly questionable and appear to be outside the legitimate scope of evidence-based nutrition.  Even advanced degrees can be purchased from what used to be called “diploma mills”.  There are a lot of crazy schemes (mostly for weight loss) on the internet – question and check on the  credentials of any person who call themselves a “nutritionist.”  Also if a plan or a supplement sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Stephen Barrett, MD, a long-time crusader against nutrition and health fraud, recommends steering clear of:

  • Anyone who suggests  that large doses of vitamins are effective against a large number of diseases and conditions. That is simply untrue. On the contrary, mega doses can sometimes be harmful.
  • Anyone who suggests hair analysis is a basis for determining the body’s nutritional state and then recommending large numbers of dietary supplements are not reliable for this purpose.
  • Anyone who claims that a wide variety of symptoms and diseases are caused by “hidden food allergies”. There are legitimate food intolerances that are different from true allergies.
  • Anyone who uses a computer-scored “nutrient deficiency test” as the basis of prescribing dietary supplements. There are more valid ways of assessing diets.
  • All practitioners – licensed or not – who sells vitamins and minerals in their offices. Evidence-based nutritionists  do not sell supplements.
  • Practitioners who seem to favor a certain food brand or supplement. There is a lot of research that is supportive of the food industry and research on that particular brand is often biased.

Source: Quack Watch, Where  to Get Professional Nutrition Advice, Stephen Barrett, MD.

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