Along with the growing epidemic of being overweight, or obese, the search for new and effective weight control solutions aimed at reducing calories and reducing body mass has been ongoing. Currently, Intermittent Fasting (IF) is gaining popularity.
For many people, it is considered less restrictive compared to traditional diets. It involves taking a normal, daily caloric intake with use of short, strict calorie restrictions. Meals are only consumed within a strictly defined time during each day. The most popular versions are time restricted eating, consisting of a 16 hour fast, and then an 8-hour nutritional/feeding window, or an 18 hour fast, and then a 6-hour nutritional/feeding window.
Intermittent Fasting can be successfully used by people who want to reduce their weight to improve their health, but it can also be used by the population of people in whom obesity is an important risk factor for the development and/or improvement of Type 2 diabetes. In addition, Intermittent Fasting can be used as a helpful tool for people of normal weight who want to improve their health regardless of weight loss.
There are many studies conducted on humans confirming the therapeutic effectiveness of Intermittent Fasting. It can reduce body fat and body mass, which supports healthy functioning of the cardiovascular system, and reduces the incidence of heart attacks and strokes. You can also influence the concentration of many metabolic biomarkers, such as the concentration of insulin and glucose, thereby reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
The positive effects of Intermittent Fasting have been documented in overweight, obese & diabetic people. The reduced amount of food consumed when doing Intermittent Fasting results in a decrease in body weight. It appears to also improve glucose metabolism & increase the sensitivity of tissues to insulin by increasing the B cells (a white blood cell responsible for producing antibodies) of the pancreatic islets.
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