Intermittent fasting (IF) isn\u2019t exactly new, but it has become one of the most talked about diet trends of the past decade. Some people swear by it \u2013 others say it\u2019s no better than any other calorie restrictive diets\u2026 so what\u2019s the truth? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is IF?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIntermittent fasting, or intermittent energy restriction, is a special diet consisting of intermittent pauses in eating,\u201d explains Dr Charlene Wolberg, a GP with a Master\u2019s in Nutritional Science practising at Netcare Linksfield Hospital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many variations of IF, but the three that have been researched the most are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Alternate day fasting (ADF)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternate day fasting (ADF) consists of a fast day alternating with a feast day. \u201cIndividuals can choose what to do on fast days, either consume only water (zero calorie alternate day fasting) or consume about 500kcal per day (modified alternate day fasting), while on feast days individuals can eat freely, without any restrictions,\u201d notes Dr Wolberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. 5:2 diet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there is the 5:2 diet which is a modified version of ADF. \u201cIt involves two fast days 3. Time restricted eating (TRE)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And finally, probably the most popular, time restricted eating. As opposed to ADF and the 5:2 diet, TRE requires individuals to fast for a specific period of time every day. \u201cTime restricted eating limits the eating window to a specified number of hours each day, typically four to eight hours. The remaining hours of the day are fasting, with water or zero calorie drinks.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n How does IF work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n IF isn\u2019t just about restricting calories, there\u2019s more to it than that. \u201cThe main concept behind intermittent fasting is that by restricting food, our bodies will switch from using glucose and depleting our glucose stores, our most direct fuel, to using fat stores in adipose tissue,\u201d explains Dr Wolberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IF has also been associated with a healthy microbiota profile, which is important because research tells us that your gut is the epicentre of your overall health and wellness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStudies have shown that using intermittent energy restriction as a dietary tool results in an increase of the beneficial strains (for example, Lactobacillus and Akkermansia),\u201d adds Dr Wolberg. She warns though that more clinical trials are necessary to observe the long-term effects on the gut microbiota. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But, if true, it could help not just with inflammation and metabolic health but with your mental health as well. \u201cThe microbiota in the gut is in flux throughout the day in response to circadian and hormonal fluctuation as well as dietary intake,\u201d explains Dr Wolberg. \u201cIt has been hypothesised that these microbiotas respond to feeding times. A western diet eating close to or during the rest period, decreases the microbiota fluctuations, these results in a less diverse gut microbiome.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n And, as you may expect, IF is equally effective in reducing body weight in both men and women. \u201cThe benefits go beyond weight loss, as clinical studies have shown benefits of IF for epilepsy, Alzheimer\u2019s disease and multiple sclerosis,\u201d she adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your guide to starting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are intrigued, Dr Wolbegg offers these guiding principles: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trend or lifestyle change?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, Dr Wolberg warns that because research is limited about the long-term health benefits, it\u2019s hard to make a call. \u201cBut, although IF is not for everyone, there could be health benefits for some individuals beyond weight loss alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether IF proves to be a lasting lifestyle change or just another dietary trend, its potential benefits make it a tool worth exploring with caution, patience, and an eye on the evolving science. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Intermittent fasting (IF) isn\u2019t exactly new, but it has become one of the most talked…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1740,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/evah-online.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/evah-online.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/evah-online.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evah-online.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evah-online.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1739"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/evah-online.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1741,"href":"https:\/\/evah-online.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1739\/revisions\/1741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evah-online.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/evah-online.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evah-online.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evah-online.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
(500-1 000kcal per day) and five feast days
per week,\u201d says Dr Wolberg,<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n