The path to longevity and health? Try intermittent fasting!

The phrase “intermittent fasting” has been in the vocabulary of people trying to lose weight in recent years. However, more and more research shows that it is also a great way to improve the functioning of our entire body.

For a person who has long tried to eat small portions five times a day in accordance with the recommendations of experts, this may not be a pleasant finding, but trends in the field of healthy lifestyles sometimes change as our knowledge evolves. And the research of recent years is quite clear: Eating every three hours is definitely not necessary. On the contrary, if we occasionally make our bodies hungry, they not only won’t be angry, they’ll be grateful. Intermittent fasting can be a very effective way of doing this.

What is intermittent fasting?

The principle of intermittent fasting is simple – basically, it is about limiting the time we can take in food. The intervals at which we can eat alternate with the restriction of caloric intake, either within a day or within a week. Usually one of the following is used:

12-12 – It is almost ridiculous to even use the word “fasting” for this type. It means that we put a 12-hour break between the last meal of one day and the first meal of the next day. Which is basically a kind of standard, because it means that if we eat dinner at 7pm, for example, the next meal (i.e. breakfast) can come at 7am. This basically just limits overeating for the night.

8-16 – this, on the other hand, means completely skipping one main meal. For example, if we have lunch at 12, we can still have dinner at 8pm (or a snack in between) and nothing else.

Of course, a compromise can be made between the two options, for example in the form of 10-14, but people who consume only one meal a day are no exception.

6-1 – this is basically similar to the well-known one-day cleansing fasts, which are included once a week. During these fasts, either only water is drunk or herbal teas, vegetable juices, etc. are included.

5-2 – this form usually does not involve complete fasting, but alternates five days of normal eating with two days of only 500-600 kcal per day. This basically means eating vegetables supplemented with a little protein. The 4-3 model is sometimes practiced in this form.

5 reasons to try it

In the following lines, you will find the most important benefits of intermittent fasting, plus tips on how to support the effect with nutrition and supplements.

Brain in shape

The processes that are triggered as a result of intermittent fasting have a significant protective effect on nerve cells. This not only promotes mental performance but also reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The ultimate effect, of course, also depends on how well we eat when we are not fasting.

There are several mechanisms by which intermittent fasting contributes to mental health. In particular, it is important to promote the production of the growth factor BDNF, which plays an important role in the formation of new neurons and the protection of existing ones, and to reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines that have a negative impact on cognitive function.

In experiments on mice, even a positive effect of intermittent fasting on motor coordination was observed.

Our tip: The composition of your diet is also important for the proper functioning of cognitive processes. A sufficient intake of omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids is essential, and limiting carbohydrate intake is also beneficial. Among herbs and supplements, mental health can be supported by, for example, rosemary or boswellia.

Slowing down aging

It has been known since the 1920s that caloric restriction, or limiting the amount of energy intake, has a positive effect on life extension. The same effect, however, can also be achieved by restricting food intake in the form of intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting affects the activity of genes that make proteins called sirtuins, which in turn affect the activity of many other important genes. The production of sirtuins naturally declines with age, which has been shown to be associated with the development of many of the typical symptoms of ageing.

Interestingly, the positive effect of intermittent fasting was also observed in research where the authors wanted to avoid restricting total calorie intake. The participants in the study were therefore asked to alternate days on which they consumed 25% of their usual energy intake with days on which they increased their usual intake by 75%. Nevertheless, they not only experienced an increase in sirtuin production, but also, for example, an increase in tissue sensitivity to insulin.

Our tip: Resveratrol, a dye found in red wine, is also a very effective sirtuin activator.

Positive effect on the gut microbiome

Evidence of the fundamental influence of the gut microbiome on the health of the whole body is growing, and intermittent fasting is one way to promote balance in this area. For example, when scientists applied it to a group of mice fed a high-fat diet, which itself has a significant negative effect on microbiome quality, they showed significant improvements in this area (in addition to improving their cardiovascular health and insulin sensitivity).

Our tip: Consuming probiotics, for example in the form of yoghurts and fermented vegetables, as well as probiotics, is important to balance the gut microbiome. These are abundant in certain mushrooms (such as oyster mushrooms), chicory and Jerusalem artichokes. Dietary supplements such as curcumin, butyrate or chlorella are beneficial to the gut microbiome.

Reduction of inflammatory processes

A high level of inflammatory processes in the body is a major problem, which is associated with an increased risk of a number of serious diseases. Intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce the production of pro-inflammatory substances, especially cytokines and TNF-alpha. One study even reported an 8% decrease in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, which is used as an indicator of inflammatory processes in the body.

Our tip: Many foods also have an anti-inflammatory effect, such as fish, olive and avocado oils, vegetables and many spices. Dietary supplements such as ginger (shoagol), curcumin, pomegranate and others are suitable.

Intermittent fasting and weight loss

The effect of intermittent fasting on weight loss is a bit more complicated. Here too, its positive effect has been repeatedly proven, but this is not 100% true. For example, in one meta-analysis (a scientific paper mapping the results of research on a specific topic), 85% of the included studies showed the effectiveness of the method. The results were promising not only for those carried out on animals but also for those on human volunteers. In one of them, for example, a group of women followed a 5-2 intermittent fast for 24 weeks (consuming about 600 kcal on fasting days) and then experienced a weight loss of7% (6 kg on average), a 14% decrease in body fat percentage and a reduction in waist circumference, an indicator of the amount of dangerous visceral fat, by an average of 6 cm.

So what is the problem? If we skip one meal, for example, this will logically lead to a reduction in our overall caloric intake – unless we compensate by overeating in the remaining time. But weight loss is not only about energy balance, the body’s internal settings, especially the production of certain hormones, also have a decisive influence.

The reason why starvation was forbidden in weight loss until recently is called ghrelin. This hormone is produced when our stomach is empty, and in the brain it firstly promotes the production of a hunger signal and secondly activates the reward centre, which multiplies the pleasurable feelings when eating. It also promotes the secretion of stress hormones and suppresses the production of insulin, which results in a rise in blood glucose levels – an important mechanism to ensure the body has enough energy during times of hunger. These are all mechanisms that promote weight gain.

But there is another side to ghrelin. For example, it quite effectively increases the production of growth hormone and growth factor IGF-1. These substances not only promote the formation of muscle mass, but also increase the intensity of metabolism. Thanks to this, ghrelin can in turn promote weight loss.

In addition, this one has a number of other positive effects. For example, it improves heart muscle contractility and promotes vasodilation of blood vessels, which can have a positive effect not only on heart health but also on endurance performance. It is also responsible for the aforementioned neuroprotective effect as well as the production of sirtuins.

Intermittent fasting also increases the sensitivity of tissues to insulin, which is positive not only in terms of diabetes prevention but also weight loss. In addition, the 5-2 option resembles a fairly effective weight reduction method called carbohydrate waves. In this method, carbohydrates are significantly reduced or completely eliminated from the diet for two days, which starts the fat burning process, but then the intake of sugars starts to increase again, so the body does not have time to react by reducing the intensity of metabolism.

However, the promotion of ghrelin production is probably the reason why intermittent fasting is beneficial for weight loss in general, but it doesn’t work for everyone. In short, a significant percentage of people respond more positively to the previously promoted frequent small portions.