Personal Health

Interval fasting – how healthy is the Trend?

For well over a week, I am more time, because Breakfast is. After a number of colleagues have reported from your self-experiment in the interval of fasting and the positive effects raved, I wanted to test the fasting Trend.

I mean: eat of the day, only in a period of eight hours, 16 I fast. And actually: to Me, the voluntary renunciation does well. I sleep better, feel more alert, and the muscle aches that have plagued me previously from time to time, are gone. Admittedly, at the weekend, the convivial Breakfast is missing. And the hours up to break the fast at lunch time pass slower than in the week at the Desk. But until now, I think – the positive effects are incentive enough.

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However, this can actually be due to the fasting explain? What science knows about the healing powers of the Famine? What is the temporary renunciation of food in the body causes? And as long interval, it is recommended to fast at all? An Overview.

The interval fasting is familiar with several concepts:

What is interval fasting?

The Name reveals it all: In a time of food intake a fasting follows. Unlike traditional fasting, the fasting cure according to Buchinger, the periods without food, but relatively short. Not fasted for five days to several weeks, depending on the method between four to 24 hours (see box). Fasting in part-time, so to speak.

How does it work exactly?

In the evening, around 19 at the conclusion of the meal. Fancy salt pretzels to the TV in the evening? Can’t take any more, unfortunately, because it is almost time. Allowed, and also important, however, is liquid, water and tea around. Everything has calories, remains taboo. Fruit juices include, Cola, soda, or sweetened drinks. The Good: most of the 16 hours without food I don’t collect only literally, as in sleep. From about twelve o’clock the next day, I eat again – so much, and what I want.

The only hardness to the beginning: without Breakfast. A little mitigated by the concession that at least the coffee is allowed to come in the course. “The classic fasting leaves all luxuries way of Smoking and coffee for example,” said Andreas Michalsen, chief physician of naturopathy at the Immanuel hospital in Berlin. “During the interval fasting, coffee is but completely okay, as long as it does not contain any extra calories from milk and sugar.”

Who invented it?

“The Trend comes from the United States,” says the nutrition expert, who also holds the endowed chair for clinical naturopathy in the Institute for social medicine, epidemiology and health Economics of the Charité in Berlin, and researches the health benefits of fasting. “Ultimately, it was invented by the animal researchers.”

From experiments with animals, the health funding are intervals known effects of small Almost for a long time. To eat “to get the animals less, they live longer and are sick less often,” says the fasting expert.

What is interval fasting brings?

“In the animal experiment, the major chronic diseases, especially rare or if they are already there, in their Severity reduced,” says Michalsen. Benefits fasting brings about type 2 Diabetes or hypertension, both of which are often the consequences of being Overweight. “In a mice study, we were able to determine that by intermittent fasting Diabetes can be prevented in the case of the rodents,” says Annette Schürmann, a researcher at the German Institute for nutritional research (Dife) in Potsdam-Rehbrücke. Since human and mouse, would, at least, are similar in genetics, the fat – and glucose metabolism, keeps Schürmann, the results are promising. Also in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatism, Multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, dementia and even cancer fasting is obviously an advantage.

“The spectrum of beneficial effects is, however, one-to-one when people reflect,” says Michalsen. Too many questions are still open. Especially when it comes to cancer, the doctor advises the use of caution. “But the data is from the Baker’s yeast, on the room the mouse fly to the monkey so unambiguous and clear that the probability is very high that fasting has in humans a positive effect.”

Five to ten years ago, researchers in the USA had come, therefore, to the idea: Why can’t the people on temporary food waiver set? First promising results – well-fast, not to the “Light-minded to the healing Version,” interval fasting – show in case of rheumatism, hypertension and type 2 Diabetes. It was also discussed whether fasting can be depression helpful.

Critics note, however, that the scientific evidence is not yet sufficient to give General recommendations.

“I would not advise anyone to do this, that he should his disease, with fasting, and defeat,” says Michalsen. “We know, however, that the food waiver does most people just fine.” The interval fasting improve the risk profile. “Studies show that even a few fast-days and meal breaks 16 hours have a positive effect. Blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and inflammation values improve, the weight goes down and the mood is brightening.”

What happens in the interval of fasting in the body?

Fasting intervenes in the metabolism. “The body’s hormone systems, which play in the Regulation of Hunger or satiety a role, tend to say regular eating chronic oversteer”, Michalsen. Example Insulin. We eat all the time, the body of its energy from carbohydrates, which are converted into sugar. As a reaction to the Increase of the sugar content in the blood the pancreas Insulin pours out. The hormone ensures that glucose gets into the cells.

The blood glucose drops after insulin again. The is pronounced, this can lead to food cravings. Permanently too much Insulin in the blood, which allows the cells to the hormone-insensitive to be. Experts speak of a resistance to insulin, a precursor of Diabetes. “Fasting the System can bring back into balance and the sensitivity of cells to Insulin increase,” says Michalsen.

It is only when we stop to eat, in a state of lack, the body has the opportunity to gain his energy in a different way: not from carbohydrates, but from fat reserves. Fasting starts this process. “Our glycogen reserves in the liver are used up after about a day,” says Michalsen. Then the body uses the fat reserves as fuel. In this case, the fat is converted into so-called ketone bodies, which, in turn, has a favorable effect on the brain is awarded.

Also in the case of a fatty liver fast remedy promises. “This is when we need to long time and again eat more than we do,” says Schürmann from the Dife. “Such a fatty liver can lead to the development of Diabetes.” In the mouse study, the researcher and her Team were able to show that periods of fasting to ensure that the fat is broken down in the liver. In addition, the cells responded better to Insulin. An effect that could also be used in studies in humans demonstrated.

Work of the Grazer scientist Frank Madeo showing, moreover: the Longer meal breaks encounter a different, positive effect in the body, the so-called Autophagy, a “garbage collection” in the cells. Aging cells accumulate damaged proteins. During Autophagy, the cell cleans itself, in a sense, by discharged the waste – a kind of spring-cleaning and makeover. However, the garbage collection runs only at full speed, if not more, eaten and digested. Insulin inhibits the process.

Decreases the interval fasting?

Michalsen is that this is the case: “Our data show: Whoever fasts one or two days per week or to take only two meals, closer to his normal weight.” The waiver does not lead to nearly the end of found in the ordinary days, a lot more food, as Krista Varady, a nutritionist at the University of Illinois in the US state of Chicago. Only ten to 15 percent more than usual, almost took on days where Feasting is allowed to be. “You don’t overeat, and I think, therefore, it works,” said Varady of the “New York Times”.

Whether and how much weight someone loses, but is dependent on numerous factors – from the chosen method, of the severity of the calorie restriction is observed on fasting days, and, not least, from one’s own body. “In obese and Overweight, we achieve faster success,” says Michalsen.

The British national health service, NHS, notes in a statement to the 5:2 diet from the year 2013, however, that the evidence for efficacy were limited. This however is unclear whether they will lead really to a long-term weight loss.

For whom is it suitable?

“Interval fasting is actually suitable for everyone,” says Michalsen. Anyone who wants can try it. Pregnant women, lactating women, children, and people with an eating disorder, however, should leave it alone. Those who take medication such as blood pressure or blood sugar lowering drugs, consult previously with your doctor, and retains its values exactly in the views. “If the fasting has a positive effect, it is necessary to align the dose of the medication may be,” says the expert.

How long can you fast?

“During the interval of fasting, there is no time limit,” says Michalsen. “In principle, this can be a life-long.” His health has no one to Worry about. Human beings are made from time to time and shorter hunger periods through. Earlier this was already the rule. The hunter who had to fight in the wild, not killed every day on the dot of twelve o’clock be mammoth. Snackte berries around three a few to grab at the latest at six o’clock in the evening, the saber-toothed tiger-Burger.

Our body is set in times of Famine, he may gain his energy from the reserves stored in the muscles and the fat tissue. Even more: “He is asking, even after hours of rest,” says Michalsen. “For food, when we take on Board all the time, also means Stress.” The body should constantly fire up its processing systems. “He benefits from breaks.”

The Breakfast waiver, I got used to that by now. Although the fast-feeling, the euphoric mood of the people reports, all of which operate intensive remedial fasting remains for me, in the “Light”Version is probably denied. To bite, just like the experience, after five days, complete the waiver again for the first Time in an Apple and taste so intense like never before. What has to do is be a comforting satisfaction, good concentration, and the feeling somehow unburdened to.

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