Fast Intermittently To Improve Health and Lifespan

Akshay Naik 04 January 2020

Life

Researchers have found additional evidence that intermittent fasting can trigger a metabolic switch which, in turn, may lead to beneficial effects, such as improved lifespan.

According to a report published in the medical journal New England Journal of Medicine, eating in a six-hour period and fasting for 18 hours can trigger a metabolic switch from glucose-based to ketone-based energy which means the body’s source of energy changes from sugar to fat.

The author of this report, Dr Mark Mattson from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, has found that intermittent fasting improves blood sugar regulation, increases resistance to stress and suppresses inflammation.

Dr Mattson, who has studied the health impact of intermittent fasting for 25 years and adopted it himself about 20 years ago, writes that “intermittent fasting could be part of a healthy lifestyle.” A professor of neuroscience, he hopes that his new report helps clarify the science and clinical applications of intermittent fasting in ways that may help physicians guide patients who may want to try it.

According to him, intermittent fasting diets generally fall into two distinct categories - daily time-restricted feeding, which narrows eating periods to six to eight hours a day and the, so-called, 5:2 intermittent fasting diet in which people limit themselves to one moderate-sized meal two days each week.

The report provides evidence of other animal and human studies which have shown that alternating between times of fasting and eating supports cellular health, perhaps by making the body adapt to food scarcity through metabolic switching. This switch occurs when cells use up their stores of rapidly accessible, sugar-based fuel and begin converting fat into energy in a slower metabolic process.

Referencing several studies from the past, the report puts forward a conclusion that intermittent fasting can prove beneficial in all aspects of life, eventually assisting in control of diabetes and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The report also quotes more recent preliminary studies that suggest intermittent fasting could benefit brain health as well.

Dr Mattson believes that further research is required to gather proof of any effect of intermittent fasting on learning and memory. But he hopes that such evidence will lead to fasting, or a pharmaceutical equivalent that mimics it, being prescribed as an intervention to stave off neuro-degeneration and dementia.

“We are at a transition point where we could soon consider adding information about intermittent fasting to medical school curricula alongside standard advice about healthy diets and exercise,” reports Dr Mattson.

The report acknowledges that researchers do “not fully understand the specific mechanisms of metabolic switching and that “some people are unable or unwilling to adhere” to the fasting regimens. But Dr Mattson argues that, with guidance and some patience, most people can incorporate them into their lives.

“Patients should be advised that feeling hungry and irritable is common initially and usually passes after two weeks to a month as the body and brain become accustomed to the new habit,” the report explains. Dr Mattson advises gradual increase in the duration and frequency of the fasting periods over the course of several months.

He hopes his report will encourage physicians to make the effort to understand the science behind intermittent fasting, so that they can communicate its potential benefits, harms, challenges and offer appropriate support to their patients.

Image source: https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/how-fasting-can-rewire-your-metabolism-and-help-prevent-dementia/

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