Can Intermittent Fasting Help You Live Longer?
(Posted on Saturday, February 11, 2023)
New research suggests that one of the most effective weight loss strategies may be to not change what you eat, but rather, when. Time restricted eating, a form of intermittent fasting, gives you less opportunity to eat throughout the day. During periods of prolonged fasting, calories from the previous meal are exhausted, forcing the body to start burning body fat. Now, a recent study from the University of Utah’s Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology hints that intermittent fasting may also help you to live longer.
In contrast to the average American that eats throughout the day, individuals that commit to intermittent fasting restrict their eating based on the time, or day of the week. Some choose to eat all their daily calories within an 8 hour window, followed by a 16 hour period of fasting. Others take the 5:2 approach, in which they eat normally for five days out of the week but restrict themselves to only one meal the other two days. There are many different approaches to intermittent fasting, but to see results, it is important to be consistent. When first beginning this new cycle of eating, do not be surprised if you feel extra hungry or cranky. After getting past the first couple of weeks, many people report feeling better than ever before.