Intermittent fasting has at least 5 benefits

Intermittent fasting is a dietary method adopted by many weight loss groups. Studies have found that fasting not only helps people get rid of body fat, but also has more health benefits.

Obesity and chronic inflammation are common problems for modern people. Coupled with the continuous increase in the number of cancers and the outbreak of new coronary pneumonia, people are paying more attention to how to improve their lifestyles and enhance their immunity.

A study published in the academic journal “Cell Metabolism” in July 2015 and funded by the US National Institute of Aging (NIA), an authoritative research organization in the field of anti-aging in the United States, shows that fasting can improve the above There are even more benefits for health issues.

The research was carried out jointly by multiple research units, including the School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and the University of Texas Health Science Center. They used multiple models, including yeast, mice, and humans, and divided them into two groups based on normal eating and intermittent fasting, and compared the differences in various indicators. They found:

1. Intermittent fasting can effectively reduce weight and blood sugar.

In the human experiment, the blood sugar and body weight did not change much in the group who ate three meals a day. The other group fasted continuously for 5 days each month. As a result, the weight was significantly reduced and the blood sugar dropped to a healthy level.

Obesity and high blood sugar will increase the incidence of chronic diseases. In the new crown epidemic, obese people have a higher risk of severe illness and death. A study published this year by “Epidemiology and Infection” pointed out that in Mexico’s new coronary pneumonia cases, the risk of death for obese people doubles. If they have other diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, they will further increase the possibility of death and severe illness. sex.

2. Intermittent fasting improves immunity and rejuvenates the immune system.

As we age, the body’s hematopoietic function declines and the number of acquired immune cells (T cells, B cells) decreases. This phenomenon is called “immune senescence.” It is manifested as a decrease in the ratio of lymphoid to myeloid cells, an increase in the incidence of anemia and bone marrow malignancies.

In the mouse experiment, mice with a lifespan of 16 months and belonging to middle and old age were divided into two groups for the test, and the measurement was repeated every 4 months. It was found that the mice with intermittent fasting (light orange, dark orange) had younger blood characteristics than those with casual food and those who wanted to eat (light blue). Their complete blood count and the ratio of lymphoid to bone marrow cells reversed, indicating that long-term use of intermittent fasting promotes immune system regeneration and rejuvenation.

3. Intermittent fasting can reduce the incidence of chronic inflammation and cancer.

Long-term chronic inflammation can easily lead to the proliferation of malignant tumors and cancer. And the higher the chronic inflammation index, the lower the body’s antiviral ability.

In the experiment, using intermittent fasting mice, chronic inflammation was significantly improved, and the probability of getting various tumors also decreased. The anti-tumor ability is considered to be one of the important indicators of immunity.

4. Intermittent fasting can help enhance memory and cognitive abilities.

This study also found that intermittent fasting is also beneficial to the brain and nervous system. The experimental method is to let the mice walk through the maze and study their memory and judgment abilities. It was found that the mice in the fasting group became smarter and had a higher success rate in getting out of the maze.

5. Intermittent fasting can help prolong life.

In the yeast experiment, the lifespan of yeast was longer for the group that provided nutrients intermittently. Another study also found that mice that eat only one meal a day live 40% longer than those that can eat 24 hours a day.

In addition to these five, the study also explored in detail the benefits of fasting for other common diseases. The researchers finally concluded that proper fasting has shown the following benefits in experiments with microorganisms (yeasts), small animals (mice) or humans:

Yeast test:Increased resistance to stress and prolonged life.

Mouse test:Lose weight, reduce the incidence of cancer and inflammatory diseases, improve immunity, enhance cognition, and extend life.

Human test:The incidence of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer will decrease, and it will also help delay aging.

There are 2 important points for intermittent fasting to be successful

In this study for adults, the method used is to choose 5 days a month for intermittent fasting. Participants eat 34% to 54% of normal diet calories and continue for three months.

This means that even if you do not implement intermittent fasting every day, you can still change your diet on 5 days a month.

Li Wanping, a nutritionist at Rongxin Clinic, points out that there are two key points to achieve results: controlling total calories and fasting for at least 12 hours.

The popular 168 fasting and 1212 fasting now meet this standard. 168 fasting means eating for 8 hours and fasting for the remaining 16 hours; 1212 fasting method means eating for 12 hours and fasting for 12 hours.

Li Wanping reminded that no matter which fasting method is adopted, it is recommended to fast at night. For example, the 168 fast is to eat between 9 am and 5 pm; the 1212 fast is to eat from 7 am to 7 pm. This can match the body’s natural metabolic time.

Nowadays, there are many different kinds of food. In order to cater to people’s tastes, food manufacturers add a lot of sugar, salt and various additives to food, which makes it easy to “eat” and “appetite” is difficult to break. Therefore, many people find it difficult to control their diets. They eat very full meals. They can’t help but eat snacks between meals. After dinner, they add midnight snacks. As a result, obesity and the three high problems are aggravated in the long run. In fact, as early as ancient times, there were also views similar to fasting. For example, “no food after noon” refers to no longer eating after 11 o’clock to 1 o’clock noon. The ancients believed that such a dietary practice was conducive to rest for the stomach and intestines, and peace of mind and body.

However, Li Yingda, director of Cihang Chinese Medicine Clinic, pointed out that this model is not suitable for modern people. Because modern people’s work patterns and daily routines are different from those of ancient people. The ancients mostly fell asleep at 7 or 8 in the evening, and got up at 4 to eat breakfast, which would not affect much.

He believes that modern people can fast at night because they usually have less activity at night, do not need to eat too much, and are less prone to bloating due to eating too much. People who have just fasted can drink a glass of milk or eat some apples if they are hungry before going to bed. When you are accustomed to a smaller amount of dinner, you can quit midnight snacks, so that the stomach and intestines can rest at night, and it is not easy to affect sleep. When diet and sleep are normal, immunity will naturally improve.

In a chaotic world, if you have a healthy way, just lookHealth 1+1！

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Editor in charge: Li Qingfeng