Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a form of time-restricted fasting. It involves consuming foods during a

specific hour window and avoiding food, or fasting, for the remaining hours each day. Some
people believe that this method works by supporting the body’s circadian rhythm, which is its
internal clock. Most people who follow the 16:8 plan abstain from food at night and for part of
the morning and evening. They tend to consume their daily calories during the middle of the
day. There are no restrictions on the types or amounts of food that a person can eat during the
8-hour window. This flexibility makes the plan relatively easy to follow. The easiest way to follow
the 16:8 diet is to choose a 16-hour fasting window that includes the time that a person spends
sleeping.
the research on intermittent fasting, including 16:8 fasting, indicates that it may provide the
following benefits:

Weight loss and fat loss

Eating during a set period can help people reduce the number of calories that they consume. It
may also help boost metabolism. A 2017 study trusted Source suggests that intermittent fasting
leads to greater weight loss and fat loss in men with obesity than regular calorie restriction.

Disease prevention
Supporters of intermittent fasting suggest that it can prevent several conditions and diseases,
including:

1. Type 2 diabetes
2. Heart conditions
3. Some cancers
4. Neurodegenerative diseases

A 2018 study indicates that in addition to weight loss, an 8-hour eating window may help reduce
blood pressure in adults with obesity. A 2017 annual review notes that animal research has
indicated that this form of fasting reduces the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cancer.

Lower Cholesterol
According to a three-week-long study published in Obesity, alternate-day fasting may help lower
total cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol when done in combination with endurance exercise.
LDL cholesterol is the “bad” cholesterol that can raise your risk of heart disease or stroke,
according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Boosted Brain Function 

A study on rats published in February 2018 in Experimental Biology and Medicine found it may
help protect against the decline in memory that comes with age. According to Johns Hopkins
Health Review, IF can improve connections in the brain’s hippocampus and also protect against
amyloid plaques, which are found in patients with Alzheimer’s. This study was done only in
animals, though, so it’s still unclear whether the benefit holds true for humans.

Extended life span

Animal studies suggest that intermittent fasting may help animals live longer. For example, one
study found that short-term repeated fasting increased the life span of female mice. Human
studies in the area are limited, and the potential benefits of intermittent fasting for human
longevity are not yet known.

A Better Night's Sleep

If you’ve ever felt like you slipped into a food coma after a big meal, you know that diet can have
an impact on wakefulness and sleepiness. Some IF followers report being able to sleep better
as a result of following this way of eating. The theory centres on the fact that having your last
meal earlier in the evening means you’ll have digested the food by the time you hit the pillow.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, digestion is best done when you’re upright, and
going to sleep with a full stomach can lead to bedtime acid reflux or heartburn, which can make
it hard to fall asleep.