Fasting isn’t just for religious rituals anymore. Scientists found out that not eating for certain periods could actually make you live longer and healthier, especially for your heart and metabolism. Now, famous people like Rishi Sunak and Elon Musk, along with many influencers, are trying out intermittent fasting (IF). They’re all about it, and there are even apps that help you keep track of your fasting times and encourage you along the way.
The first kind of IF that got really popular was the 5:2 diet, which Michael Mosley talked about in 2012. On this diet, you eat very little (500 or 600 calories) on two days of the week that aren’t back-to-back. But now, there’s a gentler approach called time-restricted eating. This means you fast for at least 12 hours overnight. It could be as simple as not eating snacks after dinner or as specific as the 16:8 method, where you eat all your meals within eight hours. The idea is that our bodies were designed for this when food wasn’t always around, and this way of eating could help us avoid diseases and live longer.
Can Intermittent Fasting Really Be Life-Changing?
Valter Longo, a scientist who’s been studying fasting for about 30 years, thinks fasting can do amazing things, like reversing diabetes and making cancer treatments work better. But, he says it’s got to be done right. Ioannis Nezis, who studies how cells work, agrees. He’s found that fasting starts a cleanup process in our cells that makes them work better.
On the other hand, Aisling Pigott, a dietitian, isn’t so sure. She thinks it’s interesting but says it’s just another way of limiting how much we eat. It’s not a magical cure. She sees how different everyone’s relationship with food is every day, and for some, fasting might not be the best choice.
Want to dive deeper into intermittent fasting and see if it’s for you? Read the full article here.
