The Benefits of Fasting/Time-Restricted Eating
Posted by Scott V Watkins, MD
The Natural Way to Healing, Weight and Eating Control
Why should you practice intermittent fasting (time-restricted eating), as detailed in Intermittent Fasting: Give Your Stomach a Break?
Here are just some of the reasons:
- Fasting is anti-inflammatory.
- Fasting actually increases your metabolism.
- Fasting improves blood sugar control.
- Fasting decreases insulin resistance.
- Fasting helps decrease visceral fat and control weight.
- Fasting can also improve your relationship with eating and food.
Here’s a further breakdown of what this all means:
Anti-inflammatory (and avoiding “leaky gut”): We have discussed that periods of fasting allow the body’s natural healing processes to happen — healing that improves intestinal permeability. In brief, normal permeability only allows what is needed to pass from inside the gut to go into circulation. Increased intestinal permeability can lead to “leaky gut,” a digestive condition where inflammatory components (bacteria and toxins) can leak through the intestinal (gut) wall, a process that can directly increase systemic or whole-body inflammation.
Boosting metabolism: It is thought that by increasing certain chemicals (such as norepinephrine and growth hormone), short-term fasting can improve metabolism — the body’s ability to burn calories. Continually eating to help increase metabolism actually has the opposite effect, and the excess calories will be stored as fat.
Blood sugar (glucose) and insulin resistance: When blood-sugar levels rise, the pancreas secretes insulin, which is picked up by insulin receptors that tell the cells to accept the glucose from the blood. Insulin resistance can happen when blood-sugar levels are constantly high. This creates constant insulin production and causes insulin receptors to become inactive or less responsive — the cells don’t get the message to accept the glucose. The blood sugar stays high and the feedback system in the body asks for more insulin, perpetuating the cycle. Periods of fasting help avoid such issues.
Visceral fat loss: It is nearly impossible to check out of the grocery store without seeing at least one magazine advertising: “Lose belly fat.” Belly fat, technically called visceral fat, refers to “hidden” fat stored deep inside the belly, and can also be wrapped around organs including the liver and intestines. Visceral fat is vastly different from subcutaneous fat — the fat we can feel on our “love handles.” Visceral fat isn’t simply the storage of excess calories; it’s metabolically active and secretes hormones, chemicals, and signals to the body that are inflammatory and actually worsen our health. Fasting helps create a ketogenic state — where the body has switched from metabolizing glucose for energy to using fat stores for energy. Reducing belly fat also results in weight loss and a flatter belly. But most importantly, fasting helps reduce inflammation and improves overall health.
Relationship to food and eating: I have personally found, and have heard from many patients, that limiting food intake to 8 hours per day actually makes the day easier, as there’s no need to think about food during that period. Not only can that be liberating, but people have also told me it helps them feel in control of eating, rather than eating controlling them.
Benefits of Fasting
We will continue to discuss intermittent fasting and other aspects of healthy eating in future articles.
