The Science of Intermittent Fasting

An Introduction to Intermittent Fasting

There is nothing new about fasting. It is one of the oldest dietary interventions and has been part of the practice of virtually every culture and religion on earth. Indeed, the word ‘break-fast’ means the meal that breaks your fast, referring to the fasting period between the evening meal and the first meal of the next day.

Since 2010, the number of online searches for “intermittent fasting” has increased by over 10,000%, as people recognize the significant health benefits, including weight loss and type 2 diabetes reversal.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Fasting, the voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual, health or other reasons is not the same as starvation, which is the involuntary absence of food. Starvation is neither controlled nor deliberate. Fasting, on the other hand may be done for any period of time, from a few hours to a few weeks, always under control of the individual. Food is available, you simply choose not to eat it.

Insulin levels rise when we eat, telling us to store some of the excess energy:

1. Sugar: Carbohydrates are broken down into individual glucose (sugar) units, which can be linked into long chains to form glycogen, which is then stored in the liver or muscle. However, there is very limited storage space for glycogen in the body.
2. Body Fat: When we run out of space to store glycogen, the liver starts to turn the excess glucose into fat. This process is called de novo lipogenesis, which literally means “making new fat.” Some of this newly created fat is stored in the liver, but most of it is exported to other fat deposits in the body. While this is a more complicated process, there is almost no limit to the amount of fat that can be created.

A Bit More About Fasting for Weight Loss…

Glycogen is the most easily accessible energy source. It is broken down into glucose molecules to provide energy for the body’s cells. Glycogen can provide enough energy to power much of the body’s needs for 24-36 hours. After this, the body will primarily break down fat for energy.

The body really only exists in one of two states – the fed (high insulin) state or the fasted (low insulin) state. Either we are storing food energy (increasing stores) or we are burning stored energy (decreasing stores). It is one or the other, but not both. You don’t store fat and burn fat at the same time. If eating and fasting are balanced, there should be no net weight change.

If we start eating the minute we roll out of bed, and do not stop until we go to sleep, we spend almost all of our time in the fed state. Over time we may gain weight, because we have not allowed our body any time to burn stored food energy.

To restore balance or to lose weight, we simply need to increase the amount of time spent burning food energy. That’s intermittent fasting.

In essence, intermittent fasting allows the body to use its stored energy. After all, that is what it is there for. The important thing to understand is that there is nothing wrong with allowing the body to utilize stored energy. This is what dogs, cats, lions and bears do. This is what humans do too.

If you are eating constantly, your body will just use the incoming food energy. There is simply no need to dip into your body’s stores of energy (body fat). Your body will save it for a time when there is nothing to eat. If you are fasting, your body will naturally lose weight.

Think of Your Body Like a Sugar Bowl

It starts off empty. Over time, if we are continually putting in more sugar than we take out, it becomes full. Once full, any excess sugar just spills out into the blood. That’s type 2 diabetes. If the core issue is glucose overfilling the cells, then the solution is obvious: get that glucose out of the cell! Either put less sugar into our body, or let more of it burn off.

Resolving Toxic Glucose Overload

Reversing Type 2 Diabetes

In type 2 diabetes, blood sugar levels are too high. If you don’t eat, your blood sugar levels will come down. So, why can’t intermittent fasting be used as a natural treatment? There is actually no reason.

As you continue fasting, your body will start to burn body fat. As you lose body fat, the type 2 diabetes will start to reverse. Indeed, research shows that intermittent fasting has the potential to reverse type 2 diabetes without medications, surgery or even cost.

Weight Loss Is Just One Benefit of Intermittent Fasting

1. Weight and body fat loss – improved body composition^{[1-4-6,8,9,11,12-18,19,37,38]}
2. Lowered blood insulin and glucose levels^[1,20-22]
3. Reduced hemoglobin A1c (A1c) levels^[1,23-25]
4. Reduced medication dependency^[1]
5. Improved blood pressure (hypertension)^[10,29]
6. Improved cholesterol levels^[10,29,31]
7. Improved mental clarity and concentration^[13]
8. Increased energy ^[27,28]
9. Increased growth hormone ^[4,7,8]
10. Increased longevity^[30,32-35]
11. Activated cellular cleansing by stimulating autophagy^[34,35]
12. Reduction of inflammation^[36]

Intermittent fasting offers many unique advantages.

• Where diets can complicate life, intermittent fasting simplifies it.
• Where diets can be expensive, intermittent fasting is free.
• Where diets can take time, intermittent fasting saves time.
• Where diets can be limited in their availability, intermittent fasting is available anywhere.
• There’s no special equipment, foods or supplements with intermittent fasting.

Anyone can start intermittent fasting today.