In the fitness industry, fasting seems to be the next trendy method to stay fit. To determine whether fasting is appropriate for you, you must first understand what it is. Fasting, in its most basic form, is the deliberate abstention from eating. Some types of fasting even prohibit drinking. We’ll be concentrating on food-related fasting for this particular blog.
Here are the pros and cons of fasting that you may not have considered!
Pros of Fasting
Contents
- 1 ⦁ Intermittent Fasting Might Aid Weight Loss And Belly Fat Reduction
- 2 ⦁ It’s Possible That It’ll Help Your Heart.
- 3 ⦁ It Might Be Beneficial To Your Brain
- 4 ⦁ Helps To Control Blood Sugar Levels By Lowering Insulin Resistance
- 5 ⦁ Might Delay Aging And Prolong Life
- 6 ⦁ It Has The Potential To Encourage Overeating
- 7 ⦁ Physical Activity May Be Reduced
- 8 ⦁ It Has the Potential to Make One Tired And Depressed
- 9 ⦁ It Has The Potential To Cause An Eating Disorder
⦁ Intermittent Fasting Might Aid Weight Loss And Belly Fat Reduction
Fasting can help you consume fewer meals in general. As a result, you’ll consume fewer calories, which is the main way to lose weight. It is critical to ensure that you are not overcompensating throughout your meals. You shouldn’t eat twice the amount you usually do to be satisfied until the next meal. Intermittent fasting also improves hormone function by allowing for reduced insulin levels and increased levels of hormones that break down and utilize body fat for energy.
⦁ It’s Possible That It’ll Help Your Heart.
One of the most dangerous illnesses in America is heart disease. Intermittent fasting may help you reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and risk factors that can cause them. Fasting has been shown to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.
⦁ It Might Be Beneficial To Your Brain
Some people believe that what is healthy for your body is also good for your brain, and they may be correct when it comes to fasting. Fasting may have a number of benefits, including reduced stress, inflammation, and blood sugar levels. All of these things will make you feel relaxed and reduce stress. Fasting could also promote nerve cell development, which is beneficial to brain function.
⦁ Helps To Control Blood Sugar Levels By Lowering Insulin Resistance
Fasting has been shown in many trials to improve blood sugar management, which may be particularly beneficial for individuals at risk of diabetes. In fact, a study of ten patients who had type 2 diabetes found that short-term fasting reduced blood sugar levels substantially.
In the meanwhile, another study showed that alternate-day fasting and intermittent fasting were just as efficient at decreasing insulin resistance as calorie restriction. Insulin resistance may be reduced by increasing your body’s sensitivity to insulin, enabling glucose to be transported more effectively from your circulation to your cells. This, along with the possible blood sugar-lowering benefits of fasting, may help keep the blood sugar stable, avoiding blood sugar spikes and crashes.
However, keep in mind that fasting may affect blood sugar levels in different ways for men and women, according to some research. For example, three-week research found that alternate-day fasting harmed women’s blood sugar management while having no impact on males.
⦁ Might Delay Aging And Prolong Life
Several studies on animals have shown encouraging findings when it comes to fasting’s possible longevity-extending benefits. In one experiment, rats who fasted on alternate days had a slower rate of aging and survived 83 percent longer than rats who did not fast. Other animal research has come to the same conclusion, claiming that fasting may improve lifespan and survival rates.
Current research, however, is still confined to animal studies. More research is required to determine how fasting affects the human lifespan and aging.
Cons of Fasting
⦁ It Has The Potential To Encourage Overeating
Many individuals overeat on “feasting” days -days where you are permitted to eat, as planned in an intermittent fasting plan. Because frequency and meal quantity are not limited on such “feasting” days, some individuals may overeat to adjust for their prior fasting days. Because you are denying your body meals on some days or at particular times, your hunger may become more intense, leading to overeating and the consumption of items that are unhealthy for your body.
⦁ Physical Activity May Be Reduced
Another disadvantage of fasting could be that it may cause you to become less active. It is not advised that you engage in too much physical activity while on an intermittent fasting regimen. If you keep going for your regular physical activities, you may get tired and sluggish. If you’re an athlete, intermittent fasting isn’t a good idea.
⦁ It Has the Potential to Make One Tired And Depressed
You may feel more fatigued and cranky than normal if you fast intermittently. Intermittent fasting puts the body under a lot of stress since you’re not eating enough. This increases stress, which puts a strain on your neurological system, resulting in tiredness, burnout, poor energy, drops in body temperature, and even a reduction in hormone function.
⦁ It Has The Potential To Cause An Eating Disorder
Intermittent fasting is simply another method to starve your body of nutrients. It’s a kind of restricted eating in which there’s a clear link between avoiding eating all the time and weight reduction. The more meals you skip, the more pounds you may lose, and the longer you fast. Fasting may cause you to relapse or possibly create a new eating problem if you have already suffered from eating disorders before. After all, any plan that encourages missing meals may lead to unhealthy eating interactions.
Despite the fact that we’ve set out some possible pros and cons of fasting, there really isn’t much study on the subject since it’s so new. Research and consider your choices before choosing whether intermittent fasting is right for you.