Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular home care trends that help people lose weight and improve their health. Many people are not aware of how this type of fasting can be good for their overall health. Several studies have suggested that intermittent fasting can positively affect your brain and body that can even help you live longer.
This type of fasting is where people have an eating pattern where they eat at a particular time and fast for the remainder of the day. Fasting has always helped people lose weight and burn fat ever since ancient times.
Are you among the people wondering if intermittent fasting is good for your health? Let us explore some health benefits of these fasting patterns.
Weight Loss
One of the most important benefits of intermittent fasting is weight loss. In this type of fasting, you are not allowed to snack or munch on food and eat only at a given time. By doing so, your body will release all the stored sugar and use it as energy. The point of this weight loss plan is to reduce your insulin levels so that your body begins to burn fat.
Keep in mind that it is nothing like a calorie restriction diet where you restrict yourself from certain foods. On the contrary, you can eat what you like during your eating sessions. This can have a negative effect as you might gain more weight or not lose any weight. So make sure that you do it the right way as it can be more effective and long-term. The 20:4 OMAD Intermittent Fasting is a great way to lose weight healthily without any hassle.
Lower Blood Pressure
Having healthy blood pressure is important because it ensures that your heart remains healthy, reduces the risk of diseases, strokes, and so on. When you start intermittent fasting it helps reduce your blood pressure. However, it also has short-term effects. That means you need to continue this type of fasting to manage and regulate your blood pressure.
Once you return to your regular eating habits your pressure will return to its initial state. So if you are planning to do this type of fast for your pressure, you need to keep practicing intermittent fasting.
Insulin Resistance
Type 2 diabetes is a common diagnosis that is found in many people. While there are prescribed medications and ways to reduce your blood sugar levels, intermittent fasting has the potential to reduce insulin resistance and bring your blood sugar level lower. So if you are suffering from type 2 diabetes, it can protect you from diabetic retinopathy which is blindness caused due to high blood sugar levels.
Studies have shown that intermittent fasting can reduce insulin levels by 20-30% and lower blood sugar by 3-5%. Now if you are already under certain medication or if you are taking insulin, it is advisable to speak to your doctor before starting this type of periodic fasting as it can be life-threatening.
Reduce Inflammation and Oxidative Stress
Intermittent fasting has the potential to reduce oxidative stress which protects your body from chronic diseases. It enables your body to reduce free radical molecules that influence your DNA and protein and eventually damage them.
Another potential benefit of intermittent fasting is that it can help reduce any kind of inflammation that is known to cause many diseases. Research has shown that you can also keep inflammatory levels low while fasting. However, there is more to understanding the longevity of these health benefits.
Improve Brain Health
From the above points, you have learned that intermittent fasting has a positive impact on your health. As you can see, intermittent fasting positively impacts your brain and enhances many metabolic features. Some studies have even shown that it protects individuals from memory loss and increases concentration.
The reason why this happens is that it improves your nerve cells that improve your brain functions. This brain improvement also helps those who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and even Huntington’s disease. There is no cure to this treatment but it can help reduce its severity or even delay this neurodegenerative disease.
Cancer Protection
Cancer is one of the most dangerous diseases in the world as it is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of cells. These cells spread across your body system and destroy body tissue. Research has shown that intermittent fasting can influence the risk of cancer and reduce tumor survival, and help in preventing cancer overall.
However, these studies were conducted on animals and there are no tests done on humans. If you have already been diagnosed with cancer and are under chemotherapy, intermittent fasting may also help in reducing the side effects of the treatment.
These are just some of the benefits when practicing intermittent fasting. If you are interested in starting this technique to lose weight, read this guide to intermittent fasting.