[HEALTH TIPS] 10 health benefits of fasting

2. May support weight loss

Studies show that controlling the times we eat – or undertaking short-term fasts – may aid weight reduction, fat loss and improve blood lipids.

3. Supports blood sugar management

Several studies support the use of fasting as a means of improving blood sugar control and potentially reducing the risk of diabetes, although gender may play a part and more studies are needed.

For those with type 2 diabetes, intermittent fasting benefits include decreasing fasting glucose and fasting insulin, reducing insulin resistance and decreasing levels of the appetite hormone, leptin.

4. Supports gut health

Studies suggest another benefit of fasting is its positive impact on both the diversity and number of beneficial bacteria in the gut. This appears to have a beneficial effect on weight change, waist measurement and metabolism.

5. Supports heart health

Studies suggest that intermittent fasting may reduce some of the risk factors for heart disease – including blood pressure, cholesterol and markers of inflammation.

6. May help disease prevention

Lightening your normal eating pattern appears to give your body the time to focus on other important functions, including disease prevention. This is because, when we fast, the body initiates a process called autophagy. This is likened to the body’s ‘house-keeping’, when waste materials from cells are removed.

Autophagy is thought to improve the body’s ability to manage chronic inflammation and, as such, reduce the risk of conditions such as heart disease, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

7. May delay ageing and support growth and metabolism

Fasting, and in particular adopting a diet low in protein, has been associated with an extended life expectancy in animal studies.

Fasting appears to promote levels of human growth hormone, a hormone that plays an important role in growth and repair, metabolism, weight loss, muscle strength and exercise performance.

Current longevity research is largely limited to animals, so more studies are needed to fully understand how this may impact human ageing.

8. May reset your circadian rhythm

Studies suggest that intermittent fasting directly influences the gut microbiome and this in turn leads to changes in the levels of chemicals called metabolites that act as signalling molecules to our central body clock. In this way, fasting may help reset our circadian rhythm and benefit conditions like obesity that are associated with a disordered body clock.

Studies in animals suggest fasting may protect against and improve outcomes in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, as well as improve brain function by supporting memory and brain processing. Similarly, animal studies suggest fasting may protect brain health and increase the production of nerve cells.

More research is needed to determine the relevance for humans and whether age and bodyweight, as well as the intake of specific nutrients, may outweigh fasting.

Human studies report fasting may reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and improve social connection. More studies are needed to assess these effects but findings to date are encouraging.