“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”
“Skipping breakfast will slow your metabolism by one third for the entire day”

Chances are you’ve been told at least one of these statements—usually with some finger wagging. Both are myths. Fasting, abstaining from food and/or drink for a specific period, has been around for centuries. Recently scientific studies have shown intermittent fasting can have health benefits.

Short fasts, 20 to 36 hours, can:
• reduce risks for heart disease and diabetes
• improve sensitivity of cells to insulin so less insulin is needed to control blood sugar
• increase HDL (good cholesterol)
• decrease weight– when people skip a meal or two, they eat more at the next meal but not enough to make up for the missed calories.

Consider these guidelines:
• Short works. Some studies show, skipping one meal every other day is enough to produce modest weight loss
• Stay hydrated. If you are not fasting for religious reasons (this usually has specific prescriptions) drink plenty of water during your fast
• Hold vigorous exercise. A walk is fine but skip the cardio kick boxing workout or strenuous hike on a fasting day
• No heavy machinery. Don’t operate any heavy machinery—including cars–until you know how feel while fasting
• Eat well. Fasting cannot make up for a poor diet
• Keep healthy limits. Fasting too often or too long can lead to nutritional deficiencies and poor health.

Consult your physician before fasting if you are:
• pregnant
• diabetic
• severely underweight
• recuperating from surgery
• have or have had an eating disorder
• have a serious medical condition.

References

Online

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting#section1

Journals

Aksungar FB¹, Eren A, Ure S, Teskin O, Ates G. Effects of intermittent fasting on serum lipid levels, coagulation status and plasma homocysteine levels. Ann Nutr Metab. 2005 Mar-Apr;49(2):77-82. Epub 2005 Mar 29.

Bronwen Martin, Mark P. Mattson, and Stuart Maudsley. Caloric restriction and intermittent fasting: Two potential diets for successful brain aging. Ageing Res Rev. 2006 Aug; 5(3): 332–353.

Duan W¹, Mattson MP.Dietary restriction and 2-deoxyglucose administration improve behavioral outcome and reduce degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in models of Parkinson’s disease. J Neurosci Res. 1999 Jul 15;57(2):195-206

Johnson JB¹, Summer W, Cutler RG, Martin B, Hyun DH, Dixit VD, Pearson M, Nassar M, Telljohann R, Maudsley S, Carlson O, John S, Laub DR, Mattson MP. Alternate day calorie restriction improves clinical findings and reduces markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in overweight adults with moderate asthma. Free Radic Biol Med. 2007 Mar 1;42(5):665-74. Epub 2006 Dec 14.

Nils Halberg, Morten Henriksen, Nathalie Söderhamn, Bente Stallknecht, Thorkil Ploug, Peter Schjerling, and Flemming Dela Effect of intermittent fasting and refeeding on insulin action in healthy men. Journal of Applied Physiology 2005 99:6, 2128-2136

(A version of this post was previously published on 3TV Good Morning Arizona blog)