One of the latest health trends has taken the internet by storm. If you’re looking for a way to boost your health, intermittent fasting may be the answer. Intermittent fasting has been around for centuries, but it has only recently started to gain in popularity. Proponents of intermittent fasting say it has many health benefits, ranging from weight loss to improved heart health. While there are many different ways to do intermittent fasting, all involve going for periods without eating. So, what are the health benefits of intermittent fasting? And why should you try it? Keep reading to find out!
Effective Way To Lose Weight
Many people who try fasting find that they lose weight as a result. This is because you are cutting down the number of calories you eat daily, which means your body has to burn fat as fuel. In addition, intermittent fasting puts your body under mild stress, which can lead it to increase its metabolism. Once your metabolic rate goes up, you’ll also notice that you aren’t as hungry during the fasted period – another way that intermittent fasting can help you to reduce calories. Finally, studies have shown that intermittent fasting may help suppress the hunger hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin sends signals to your brain, telling it when you’re hungry or full. When your ghrelin levels drop, so does your appetite – meaning you may find it easier to stick to the diet overall. Less desire for unhealthy snacks means you’re much less likely to binge when you start eating.
Enhanced Heart Health
There is some evidence that intermittent fasting can help improve your cardiovascular health. When we eat, our bodies use a certain amount of energy just processing and digesting the food and breaking down its nutrients. This process creates heat and uses oxygen – and as a result, there’s an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Studies have found that this kind of ‘cardiometabolic stress’ leads to plaque build-up in the arteries, which can cause all kinds of problems such as high blood pressure and heart attacks. One animal study has shown that intermittent fasting may reduce this kind of cardiometabolic stress – so it can help protect you from heart problems. This has been backed up by a human study, which found that intermittent fasting lowered blood pressure and improved the function of arteries.
