No need to abstain from any food to still lose weight, reduce disease, is it real?

Recently, around the world, intermittent fasting has been the favorite diet of fashionistas and tech experts alike. It is not complicated or requires special foods, but is based on a simple principle: fasting for a certain length of time during the day.

People on this time-restricted diet will only eat for 6 or 8 hours a day and fast the rest of the time. The method is considered way weight loss This effect has just been “unveiled”…

Applying intermittent fasting means you can eat comfortably for 6-8 hours and fast for the rest of the day. (Illustration)

In a year-long study by Southern Medical University in China, 139 participants followed a daily low-calorie diet (1,200-1,500 calories for women, and 1,500-1,800 calories for men). . All on average only lost about 6.4kg, no matter what eating plan they followed. From waist circumference to blood glucose levels, body fat, insulin sensitivity and blood pressure, there were no significant differences between those who intermittently fasted or not.

So is intermittent fasting a pointless eating fad?

The researchers’ conclusion was that there was “no significant difference” between diets like throwing a dumbbell at the intermittent fasting counseling machine that has blossomed in recent years.

Whether following the typical 16/8 pattern (eating for 8 hours/day and fasting for the remaining 16 hours) or 5:2 intermittent fasting (5 days of normal eating, 2 days of minimal intake of calories) or even Even if you fast all day, this way of eating is also spread by many celebrities, through books, clinics, counseling programs…

So far this week, research has put it in place. Tested mainly in animals, the method of controlling meal times appears to help lose weight and improve blood sugar. According to a 2021 article published in the peer-reviewed journal Nutrition and Diabetes, fasting for 12-16 hours acts as a catalyst for cellular autophagy (i.e., cells that repair themselves, helping to lower blood sugar levels). high blood pressure due to eating).

Then a 2019 paper from the US National Institute on Aging published results from 80 studies, highlighting that intermittent fasting reduces fat stored in the liver when triglycerides (a type of blood fat) over time. Fasting breaks down and converts them into energy for use by other tissues in the body, especially the brain.

Actress Jennifer Aniston once shared that she followed a diet to control mealtimes.

However, intermittent fasting is not limited to the pursuit of a slimmer body. Obese participants in the study lost weight, and associated risks – such as type 2 diabetes, inflammation and lifestyle-related cancers – also decreased.

All of this can be explained by 2 factors. First, when time-limited, a person eats less overall, reducing calorie intake by an average of 300-500 per day, according to studies. Next, there are a number of circadian-related benefits to using this approach. Limiting mealtimes can make you eat less late at night, and therefore sleep better – which has benefits for immune, digestive, cognitive and cardiovascular function.

According to Dr. Giles Yeo, a principal investigator at the Wellcome-MRC Institute for Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge (UK), as a tool to reduce food consumption, mealtime control methods can be effective when Limit your calorie intake, no matter what time of day you choose to fast. But talking about this method as a weight loss solution by itself, in general, does not work for everyone.

So is intermittent fasting a fad worth giving up? This is a question not easily answered

“I’m a believer that if you do something that doesn’t cause harm and really works for you, just do it – because it might work for some people but not all,” says Dr. Doctor Yeo commented.

To date, the Southern Medical University study (China) is the longest study on the intermittent fasting method, but it was conducted by Michael Mosley, the creator of the famous Fast 800 program – a combination of fasting with cockroaches. cut and control calories, critique. He countered that people who followed a time-restricted and calorie-controlled diet lost more weight and body fat than just reduced calorie intake, but “the study was not large enough to confirm the differences.” This is considered to be statistically significant.

Nutritionists say that eating the right foods and eating less is the key to weight loss. (Illustration)

“It was a fairly small experiment and was done with the Chinese people – a community group where mealtimes are generally within a certain range, not too late – and with volunteers who did not have communication problems. substance – this could affect the results,” he added.

Studies have concluded that a combination of low-calorie diets and intermittent fasting is “a viable and sustainable approach to managing obesity,” possibly because of the timing of dietary restriction. acts as a behavioral control tool. “While the main approach at Fast 800 is to cut calories, we suggest that people try a combination of timed eating as they find this makes it easier to stick to a calorie-restricted diet. more,” said Mosley.

Dr. Krista Varady is a professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois Chicago (USA) who focuses on the effectiveness of intermittent fasting.

“Honestly, I am surprised that this study has been included in such a large medical journal,” she said, noting that the study did not have a monitoring group. “It shows how popular these diets are and how many people want to know about them.”

“We definitely need more long-term data on how to control mealtimes and the next necessary area for studies is to look at different populations, because “we need to find understand if these diets can help reverse type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and help people with thyroid disorders or polycystic ovary syndrome lose weight and become healthy. should be healthy or not”.

Dr. Varady is conducting a year-long study – comparing timed eating with calorie restriction as well as coordinating an eating control group, to see if time control Eating can “promote long-term effects because it doesn’t include calorie counting. I think this is a big question that needs to be answered in this area,” she said.

Tam Fry, of the UK’s National Obesity Forum, isn’t convinced that the timing of eating is worth digging into. “I don’t have time for these food fads,” he said. “The way to diet, in our view, is to eat less.” He also warns that adopting this dominant eating pattern can upset the eating balance that requires consistency and health. “Eat the right food, eat less and you will see weight loss.”