With so many different diets available to try, it can be challenging to know which one might best suit you and your personal health goals.
Intermittent fasting can be a great way of burning fat and losing weight for some people. Numerous studies show that it has powerful brain and body benefits.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a specific eating pattern in which you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. You typically choose a ‘window’ of when you will be eating, and ensure that you only consume food during these hours. There are a few different types of intermittent fasting that each revolve around this main concept, but work around slightly different timeframes or fasting ‘windows.’ The most popular form of intermittent fasting is the 16:8, which involves eating only during an 8-hour window and fasting for the remaining 16 hours. For example, you may choose to start eating at 12pm until 8pm and then fast during the morning and overnight.
Here are some scientifically-proven health benefits of intermittent fasting.
It helps regulate blood sugar and hormone levels
Your blood’s insulin levels drop, causing your body to burn fat, and the blood level of the growth hormone may increase, helping to support fat loss and muscle gain.
It Can Help With Weight and Fat Loss
Intermittent fasting is known for helping people lose weight and burn body fat. It increases your metabolic rate by 3.6-14%, which helps you burn more calories. This, along with the decreased amount of time spent eating, your calorie intake is already likely to be reduced when fasting, leaving you in a deficit, which is one of the main ways of losing weight.
It May Improve Heart Health
Intermittent fasting has been proven to improve many different health risks, such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood triglycerides, and blood sugar levels. It can help prevent you from developing diabetes, but it can also be hugely beneficial for heart health.
