NutritionBy Bobby Stevens27-11-2019
Intermittent fasting: a miracle cure?
In this article about intermittent fasting as a miracle cure: With the new year approaching, good intentions will soon follow. But how do you lose those few kilos this year? A popular diet trend that you might want to try is intermittent fasting (IF). It is an old technique that is making a comeback in popularity. In this article, we discuss the pros and cons of IF, for whom it may be suitable and for whom it is not. And what does the science say about this form of eating? Intermittent fasting explained as a miracle cure What is intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting, also known as IF, translates to interval fasting, which involves alternating periods of eating and not eating. During the fasting period, you only drink calorie-free beverages, such as water, tea, or coffee. Essentially, everyone does this; when you sleep, you fast, and when you are awake, you eat. This usually amounts to about 8-10 hours of not eating and 12-14 hours of eating. The most popular form of IF is delaying breakfast. The protocol used is 16/8, meaning 16 hours of fasting and an 8-hour eating window. An example of this is having the three main meals of the day at 11:00, 15:00, and 19:00, with fasting occurring between 19:00 and 11:00. Calories are generally not counted in this approach. Other protocols include alternate day fasting, 24/24, which alternates a day of eating with a day of not eating. Eat stop eat fasting is a form where you fast for 24 hours 1-2 times a week. There are also people who fast for 72 hours or longer. IF for fat loss IF is often used as a tool for weight loss. By creating a window, you tend to eat less frequently because there are fewer opportunities to eat in a day. For some people, this is a convenient way to reduce their daily calorie intake. In practice, this proves to be an easier tool for some than calorie restriction. Scientific research on the effects of IF in humans is scarce; most studies have been conducted on animals. In the research done on humans, the effect of a combination of IF and calorie restriction is often examined1,2,3 or the studies are of poor quality. Thus, it remains unclear whether the benefits come from IF or simply from the candidates consuming fewer calories. The advantages of IF compared to calorie restriction are: Better satiety after meals: due to the low meal frequency, you can allocate a larger number of calories per meal. If you don't move much or want to lose some weight and have a low calorie budget, this might be useful for you. You will feel more satisfied after each meal because you can eat larger meals. This makes it easier for some to stick to. Saving calories: when you often eat out for work, it is handy to have a large number of calories available in the evening. It can then be a good strategy to eat a bit less during the day. This makes losing weight easier when you frequently dine out. Time-saving: not eating in the morning saves time. You need to prepare fewer meals in a day. Skipping breakfast: some people find it difficult to eat breakfast right after waking up. For these individuals, it is ideal to postpone breakfast. But every advantage has its disadvantage, and so does IF. The disadvantages of IF are: Little appetite: with low appetite, consuming a few large meals in 8 hours is not ideal; you would prefer to divide them into several smaller meals. Overcompensating: do you quickly tend to overcompensate when you eat healthily or exercise hard for a period? Then IF is not recommended. There’s a good chance that during your first meal of the day, you consume way too many calories. Knowledge: if you don’t have much knowledge about nutrition yet, it’s also advisable not to start with IF. It’s better to track your nutrition for a while to gain insight into what you eat. This way, you not only eat less; you often eat healthier as well. Hunger: do you feel very hungry in the morning? Then it’s likely that you won’t be able to maintain IF for long. Eventually, your body will get used to the new rhythm, but this will take some time. So, if you want to start with IF, give your body time to adjust. Many meetings: do you have many meetings throughout the day? Then IF is also not a handy tool. The article on circadian rhythm mentioned that it’s best to eat at fixed times. If you have many meetings during the day, it’s illogical to schedule a meal every day at 11 AM, as you will often not have time for it. Insulin sensitivity: people with overweight often have poor insulin sensitivity. Eating breakfast early can help keep blood sugar levels under control, which leads to better control over appetite. IF is certainly not a miracle solution if the goal is weight loss; the energy balance remains paramount. There is no evidence that more fat is burned during IF or that metabolism increases; studies suggest that it actually decreases4. IF can only be used as a tool when it’s difficult to meet the calorie budget. It can be more pleasant to divide this into several large meals so that you feel more satiated. In practice, we do not often recommend IF as a tool for losing fat. It is primarily important that you gain insight into what you eat and what your body needs. Do you think after reading this article that IF might work for you? Give it a try! Just make sure you try it for at least 4 weeks so your rhythm can adjust. Keep in mind that IF is not a miracle solution. Other factors such as energy balance, nutrition, and recovery are much more important for achieving your results. IF and the immune system Intermittent fasting is mainly known for the stories about weight loss, which we discussed above. This is probably the reason you started reading this article. But did you know that the idea behind IF goes much further than that? IF could relieve the immune system, which can have a significant impact on chronic complaints such as Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, eczema, skin problems, lung issues, chronic fatigue, and ear-nose-throat infections. Before we delve deeper into how IF can play a role here, it’s important to know a bit more about how the immune system works. The role of the immune system is to keep toxic substances out of the body. Everything you eat and inhale that doesn’t belong in your body is filtered by the immune system. This immune system is largely located in the intestines and is therefore heavily dependent on nutrition. The intestines are incredibly complex, and their functioning not only affects how the inside of your toilet looks. The functioning of the intestines also influences, for example, performance, absorption (do vitamins and proteins actually reach your body?), and vitality. Additionally, gut quality is also extremely important for recovery. Not only recovery after workouts but also from a busy workday or recovery after a night of gourmet dining. A healthy gut flora is crucial for the proper functioning of the body. The first layer of cells on the inside of your intestines (the endothelial cells) determines whether a certain substance enters the body or not. Extremely important for the proper functioning of the intestinal wall are the so-called tight junctions. These are connections between the first layer of cells on the inside of the intestinal wall (endothelial cells). The tight junctions ensure that the cells are tightly connected to each other so that not just anything can pass through. A schematic representation of this can be seen below. Stress, excessive carbohydrate consumption, lack of exercise, Crohn's disease, and other chronic issues can cause the tight junctions to malfunction. The cells then do not hold together tightly, allowing toxic substances to enter the body more easily. When these tight junctions do not function properly, more toxic substances enter the body through the cells. This costs your body a lot of energy, as it has to defend itself against these toxic substances. This is where your immune system becomes active. Your immune system expels the intruding toxic substances through the intestines, kidneys, and liver. If the body fails in this, it activates secondary mechanisms. These are your lungs (through breathing), the skin (eczema, especially around the eyes), and through your mucous membranes (around the ears, eyes, and nose). A failing immune system is a significant burden on your body. This can result in unpleasant and often unexplained complaints such as Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic complaints, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, eye-ear-or nose inflammation, and skin problems. Of course, we want to prevent (and heal) these unpleasant complaints. IF could play a role here. This is related to the Post Premeal Inflammatory Response (PPIR), which is the inflammatory response after eating. Everyone has a bit of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract after eating. This inflammation does not completely disappear until 16 hours later. Most people, including sleep, never have a period of 16 hours without eating. This means that there is never a time when there is no inflammation in the intestines. When you have a daily period of 16+ hours without eating, the levels of inflammatory markers will significantly decrease5. This can help restore your intestines to good condition and ensure that the immune system is less burdened. Do you suffer from any of the above chronic complaints and want to test if IF works for you? Then supplement L-Glutamine during the initial period. This restores the tight junctions, allowing the cells in the intestines to be strongly connected again6. Starting with IF? Do you want to start with IF? Then try this for at least a period of 4 weeks so that your body can adjust to the new rhythm and you can actually gain insight into the effects. Start with a 16/8 protocol and eat, for example, 3 larger meals a day (11am, 3pm, 7pm). Make sure these meals contain enough vegetables, proteins, and fats. Eating 3 times a day vs. 6 times a day already saves 21 meals in one week! Just think about what this does to the inflammatory response in the intestines. During the fasting period, drink only water and tea (coffee if necessary in the morning). Do you experience physical discomfort during fasting, such as severe dizziness? Then consume a meal and consult with your trainer. It is important that you always feel good. Feeling hungry at first is completely normal, as your body needs to get used to not eating in the morning. Literature 1. Teng, N.I., Shahar, S., Manaf, Z.A., Das, S.K., Taha, C.S., Ngah, W.Z. (2011). Efficacy of fasting calorie restriction on quality of life among aging men. Physiol Behav, 2011( 104), 1059–1064. 2. Hussin, N.M., Shahar, S., Teng, N.I.M.F., Ngah, W.Z.W., Das, S.K. (2013). Efficacy of fasting and calorie restriction (FCR) on mood and depression among ageing men. J Nutr Health Aging 2013 (17),674–680. 3. Teng, N.I., Shahar, S., Rajab, N.F., Manaf, Z.A., Johari, M.H., Ngah, W.Z.W. (2013). Improvement of metabolic parameters in healthy older adult men following a fasting calorie restriction intervention . Aging Male, 2013 (16), 177–183. 4. Horne, B.D., Muhlestein, J.B., Lappé, D.L., May, H.T., Carlquist, J.F., Galenko, O., Brunisholz, K.D., Anderson, J.L. (2013). Randomized cross-over trial of short-term water-only fasting: Metabolic and cardiovascular consequences. NMCD, 23 (11), 1050-1057. 5. Faris, M. E., Kacimi, S., Al-Kurd, R.A., Farajeh, M.A., Bustanji, Y.K. Mohammed, M.K., Salem, M.L. (2012). Nutrition Research. 32 (12), 947-955. 6. Rao, R., Samak, G.(2012). Role of Glutamine in Protection of Intestinal Epithelial Tight Junctions. J Epithel Biol Pharmacol. 1 (7), 47-54. Also read: 5 breakfasts with more than 25 grams of protein · more articles on our blog · personal training at Daadkracht .
