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Benefits of 16 8 Intermittent Fasting: What to Eat and When to Eat for Optimal Results



The results of this metabolic shift are impressive. Some studies show that fasting makes your body much more insulin sensitive, while others show that it can boost your metabolic rate by 3-14%. [6][7]




Benefits of 16 8 Intermittent Fasting




Thankfully fasting may help. It improves gut health enough to reduce many inflammatory markers. Its ability to promote ketosis means it can also help your body generate new, inflammation-fighting mitochondria. This process is called mitophagy. [10]


In more recent times fasting has become known for its ability to turn back the biological clock. Many people who take up intermittent fasting notice dark under-eye circles disappearing and fine lines smoothing out.


Acclimating to intermittent fasting is similar to acclimating to the keto diet. In both cases, anything that helps you move toward fat-burning mode will help you make the transition. Supplementing with MCT oil, coconut oil, and other healthy fats may help with ketone production and overall acclimation.


The popularity of this fasting method has grown widely among those looking to lose weight and burn fat. 16/8 intermittent fasting is also believed to improve blood sugar control and enhance longevity.


With 16/8 intermittent fasting, you restrict your food intake to an 8-hour window and fast for the remaining 16 hours. This practice may support weight loss, improve blood sugar, and increase longevity.


Restricting your intake to just 8 hours per day may cause some people to eat more than usual during eating periods in an attempt to make up for hours spent fasting. This may lead to weight gain, digestive problems, and unhealthy eating habits.


If weight loss is your primary goal, you may therefore prefer to lower your calorie intake instead of fasting intermittently to prevent the overeating that may occur when restricting intake to a certain time window.


Some animal research suggests that intermittent fasting may lead to hormonal changes and undereating. In people with ovaries, these changes may negatively affect menstrual cycles and fertility (8, 9).


Furthermore, postmenopausal individuals may experience different effects from intermittent fasting. Menopause causes changes that can decrease insulin sensitivity and lead to weight gain, and intermittent fasting may help improve these outcomes (10).


Restricting daily food intake to a particular time window may cause increased food intake and weight gain, as well as short-term hunger and weakness. Older animal studies indicate that intermittent fasting may interfere with fertility.


Extra calories and less activity can mean a higher risk of obesity, type 2diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses. Scientific studies are showingthat intermittent fasting may help reverse these trends.


There are several different ways to do intermittent fasting, but they areall based on choosing regular time periods to eat and fast. For instance,you might try eating only during an eight-hour period each day and fast forthe remainder. Or you might choose to eat only one meal a day two days aweek. There are many different intermittent fasting schedules.


Williams stresses that before you try intermittent fasting (or any changeto your diet), you should check in with your primary care practitionerfirst. Some people should steer clear of trying intermittent fasting:


Keep in mind that intermittent fasting may have different effects ondifferent people. Talk to your doctor if you start experiencing unusualanxiety, headaches, nausea or other symptoms after you start intermittentfasting.


Keep in mind that intermittent fasting may have different effects on different people. Talk to your doctor if you start experiencing unusual anxiety, headaches, nausea or other symptoms after you start intermittent fasting.


One study in mice with diabetes also showed that intermittent fasting improved survival rates and protected against diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is a complication that can lead to blindness (13).


Promising evidence from animal studies indicates that intermittent fasting or diets that mimic fasting may help prevent cancer. Research in humans has led to similar findings, although more studies are needed (26, 27, 28).


Daily fasting was also shown to improve the overall health of male mice. It helped delay the onset of conditions such as fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma, which are both common in aging mice (46).


Intermittent fasting is a very popular weight-loss method, but its benefits extend beyond that. It can help you live a longer and all-around healthier life too, according to studies involving animals and humans.


While the 16:8 intermittent fasting plan does not specify which foods to eat and avoid, it is beneficial to focus on healthful eating and to limit or avoid junk foods. The consumption of too much unhealthful food may cause weight gain and contribute to disease.


Beverages can play a role in satiety for those following the 16:8 intermittent fasting diet. Drinking water regularly throughout the day can help reduce calorie intake because people often mistake thirst for hunger.


A 2014 review reports that intermittent fasting shows promise as an alternative to traditional calorie restriction for type 2 diabetes risk reduction and weight loss in people who have overweight or obesity.


The National Institute on Aging point out that, even after decades of research, scientists still cannot explain why fasting may lengthen life span. As a result, they cannot confirm the long-term safety of this practice.


This diet plan may also be easier to follow than other types of fasting. People doing 16:8 intermittent fasting should focus on eating high fiber whole foods, and they should stay hydrated throughout the day.


Intermittent fasting 16:8 is a time-restricted way of eating where you fast for 16 hours of the day and only consume food within an eight-hour window. Some people follow this diet daily, while others choose to do it a few days a week.


But what does fasting do to the body? When we consume food, our bloodstream is suddenly bombarded with nutrients in the form of simple carbs, amino acids and fats depending on the meal consumed,'' says Dr Kara.


Michal says: Many people will find a 16:8 fasting pattern is not too difficult to start with. However, if you do find that 16 hours is too long for you to begin with, you can start with shorter fasts of 12 hours or so and work your way up to the full 16 hours.


Whilst studies, such as one published in the Canadian Family Physician (opens in new tab) journal, have shown that intermittent fasting can lead to weight loss in the short term, a review in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (opens in new tab) suggests that this is due to an energy deficit created from limiting your eating window, says Jones. There may also be some considerations for fasting women.


But so far the research shows that these blood pressure benefits last only while someone is doing IF. Once the diet ended and people returned to eating as was normal for them, researchers found that blood pressure readings returned to their initial levels.


Animal studies suggest that both IF and general calorie restriction can reduce inflammation levels, though clinical trials are few and far between. The authors of research published in Nutrition Research wanted to know if that link existed among humans, too, so they analyzed a group of 50 participants who were fasting for Ramadan, the Muslim holiday, which involves fasting from sunrise to sunset and eating overnight. The study showed that during the fasting period, pro-inflammatory markers were lower than usual, as was blood pressure, body weight, and body fat.


Registered dietitians advise people with diabetes to approach intermittent fasting with caution. People on certain medications for type 2 diabetes or those on insulin (whether to manage blood sugar for type 2 or type 1 diabetes) may be at a greater risk for low blood sugar, which can be life-threatening. Check with your doctor before trying intermittent fasting if you have any type of diabetes, they advise.


Researchers found that fasting for 16 hours is beneficial to your body as long as you do not have comorbidities. If planned well, a 16-hour intermittent fasting diet provides you with many long-lasting health benefits. It is one of the easy diets to follow. But initially, it will be hard on the body.


16-hour intermittent fasting is also called a 16:8 diet plan where you consume just water, black coffee, green tea, and other unsweetened beverages. Then, you can eat all of your meals and snacks for the remaining eight hours of the day.


Those who have tried the 16:8 diet report being significantly more productive during fasting hours and spending less time worrying about food and more time channeling their energy into other beneficial tasks throughout the day.


But why does simply changing the timing of our meals to allow for fasting make a difference in our body? An in-depth review of the science of IF recently published in New England Journal of Medicine sheds some light. Fasting is evolutionarily embedded within our physiology, triggering several essential cellular functions. Flipping the switch from a fed to fasting state does more than help us burn calories and lose weight. The researchers combed through dozens of animal and human studies to explain how simple fasting improves metabolism, lowers blood sugar levels; lessens inflammation, which improves a range of health issues from arthritic pain to asthma; and even helps clear out toxins and damaged cells, which lowers risk for cancer and enhances brain function.


According to metabolic expert Dr. Deborah Wexler, Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, says "there is evidence to suggest that the circadian rhythm fasting approach, where meals are restricted to an eight to 10-hour period of the daytime, is effective." But still she recommends that people "use an eating approach that works for them and is sustainable to them." 2ff7e9595c


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