We’ve written about fasting before. But we found this article interesting because it looks at fasting as not something you do occasionally to detox or lose weight, but as a consistent part of your daily routine, essentially your regular diet plan.
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The author interviewed Martin Berkhan, a nutrition consultant and personal trainer, on how he fasts to maximize his exercise. Berkhan fasts for 16 hours a day, from evening until the following afternoon (essentially, just skipping breakfast). Before breaking his fast, he exercises, including reps of 600-pound deadlifts. The workout is followed by eight hours of eating as much as he wants. While we can’t necessarily endorse Berkhan’s fasting routine, the article makes some interesting arguments:
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- Berkhan cites research that growth hormone is naturally released in the early stages of a fast. Human growth hormone is known to promote fat breakdown and muscle gain, and Berkhan believes his daily fasting window is a powerful opportunity for the body to make the most of exercise.
- In a March 2014Ted Talk, Mark Mattson, the chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging, described some mechanisms by which intermittent fasting may not only improve markers for cardiovascular health and blood sugar levels, but also improve brain function and help prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as other age-related cognitive problems. Regular doses of moderate hunger, he argues, will make you sharper, regardless of your age.
- A February 2015 paper in Rejuvenation Research detailed work by a University of Florida-based group that put volunteers on alternating feast and fast days. On fast days, they ate only 25 percent of a normal caloric intake. On feast days, they made up for it by eating 175 percent of normal. By dividing the feeding schedules like this between feast and famine, the team detected higher levels of a protective protein called SIRT 3 that correlates with increased lifespan in mice, as well as decreased blood insulin levels. This feeding schedule also caused small but important bursts of free radicals; at high concentrations these reactive molecules can be very dangerous, but at low doses they are believed to have a cleansing effect.
The author began following the 16/8 eating schedule that both Mattson and Berkhan endorse. He aims for last swallow by 10pm and doesn’t eat again until 2pm the next day. He said the hunger pangs took some getting used to, but that he felt that he was functioning at a higher level; he feels noticeably sharper when he’s hungry.
RELATED: In defense of not skipping meals
Curated article from:
Alternet
