Being physically fit has become one of the most significant aspects of life. Today, numerous people are trying to adapt a lifestyle which can give them a healthful routine. And intermittent fasting has become one of the most used diet plans for a healthy lifestyle. This type of diet plan is also known as time-restricted eating, and it is a diet plan where a person process between durations of eating and fasting. The intermittent fasting has also become the most searched diet plan on Google in 2019. The intermittent fasting diet plan focuses more on the timing of eating. Many people also follow this type of diet plan to improve metabolic functions and to protect their body from various diseases, and to be able to stay energetic in the daily hustle and bustle of life.
A normal type of diet plan focuses on what and how much to eat, but intermittent fasting mainly focus on the timings of having a meal. In this type of fasting, a person only eats during a specific time period ranging between 8-12 hours. And fasting for a certain number of hours, helps the body to burn fats. However, intermittent fasting is one of the most debatable diet advices in the fitness industry. Many people also criticize the distinct factors which are related to the intermittent fasting. A research paper was published in the JAMA International Medicine journal which illustrated some points against the intermittent fasting. In a study, 116 people were tracked in a clinical trial for three months to analyze the intermittent fasting diet plan and its claim to have multiple positive impacts on the body. The individuals who were under the examination for this study were classified as obese and overweight, and these individuals were divided into two different groups. One group followed intermittent fasting and other ate three meals every day.
After the clinical trial was done, the researchers speculated that the individuals who followed intermittent fasting diet would lose more weight than the ones who are having three meals every day. However, when the result was out, there were no major loss of weight with the intermittent fasting. Similarly, it was analyzed that there were no differences in fat insulins, blood sugar, fasting mass, between both the groups which were studied. The individuals who were in the fasting group lost about three and a half pounds but it was found that what they lost was not the fat in the body, but it was lean mass, including muscle. In this study, the participants lost 65% of the lean mass, but generally it loses around 20 to 30%. The findings were different than the expectations of the researchers. It was found that intermittent fasting did not help the individuals in losing weight more than the ones who were eating three meals a day.
The intermittent fasting similarly came with the huge loss of the lean muscles of body, which can be considered as a side effect on health. However, it resulted in modest weight loss of about 2 pounds per week for over 12 weeks on average. Some other studies have also found that limiting food intake to around eight hours each day or severely stopping calories for a few days, are the two prominent approaches of intermittent fasting. However, sometimes it results in intense cravings for food and rebound eating habits.
Some people who attempt to cut off eating after 4 pm experience lingering thoughts about food after watching anyone else who is eating a meal. These types of people end up searching something to eat again and then eat more than they would have on a typical night. Other people who attempt to eat no more than 500 calories a day or for non-consecutive days each week, frequently face issues like day dreaming on fasting days about what they can eat afterwards, and end up consuming more food items in the end. The type of tactics like intermittent fasting works for some people but some can confront multiple issues due to it. In some cases, it has also affected the ability of sleeping peacefully. An interrupted sleep pattern does not only affect the daytime energy, but it also affects the overall functioning of the body. Disturbed sleep patterns have had also been displayed to increase hunger, and trigger excessive eating and weight gain. For many people, intermittent fasting is an ideal strategy, but often they do not consider the fact the intakes, metabolism and capacities of human bodies can be extensively different. Many people compromise overall nutrition by limiting their daily intake of nutritional diet. And even if an individual has decided to go for intermittent fasting diet plan, it is important to consider how the body is reacting towards the shifts, and it is more crucial to stick to naturally produced nutrient rich food items.
Reference –
- www.jamanetwork.com
- www.health.harvard.edu
- www.healthline.com