Benefits of Fasting and Time-Restricted Eating

Intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating are growing in popularity and increasingly recognized as having beneficial health impacts. Studies have shown that obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even some types of cancer can be improved using these highly accessible treatment options.

The terms fasting and time-restricted eating are often used interchangeably. Although they can be used for similar benefits, they are different. Depending on eating and sleeping habits, an individual will go around eight to ten hours without food while they sleep at night. Time-restricted eating is an extension of that normal overnight fast to about 14 to 16 hours.

Fasting, by comparison, is going without food for 24 hours or longer. Since it can be more difficult to complete a fast than a time-restricted eating regime, many people find it more manageable to start with time-restricted eating and build up to a fast over time.

There are several benefits of time-restricted eating and fasting documented in medical literature. The most basic benefit of therapeutic fasting is metabolic switching. When depriving the body of food, a switch occurs from the body’s utilization of glucose to the utilization of ketones, which is also the primary objective in a Keto diet. Triggering this switch can result in weight loss, stabilization of blood sugar levels, and a lowering of blood pressure.

Therapeutic fasting can also help improve the results of chemotherapy in cancer patients. Data show that completing a fast before chemotherapy treatments can help shut down normal cellular activity, allowing cancer cells to be more easily targeted by the treatment.

Autophagy, the body’s ability to clean out older or more damaged cells, is another benefit of fasting. After fasting for about 24 hours, the body begins to break down its damaged cells more quickly, allowing the body to regenerate new cells.

One of the most sought-after effects of fasting is weight loss. Studies suggest that both time-restricted eating and fasting can result in a drop in weight, which can be hugely beneficial to an overweight individual’s overall health. Weight loss can improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels, decrease the likelihood of diabetes, help joint pain, increase energy, and lead to increased self-esteem and improved mental health.

Fasting carries many health benefits and may even improve outcomes in many chronic diseases and health conditions. However, more research is needed to pinpoint the exact number of hours of fasting needed to optimize its benefits.