Every mom currently scrolling through Facebook (oops, Meta) knows about intermittent fasting. The wellness trend is currently on everyone’s lips, with countless benefits being recited like a Grade 3 poem every time the words: “why” or “what’s the reason?” are uttered.
Purposefully restricting your eating for a few hours a day may seem like a crazy fad diet gone wrong, but intermittent fasting does have several benefits that have been well researched. So, the next time a family member or friend asks you why you’re dabbling in intermittent fasting, recite these five reasons:
Targets belly fat
Intermittent fasting is great for targeting that stubborn belly fat. According to a study conducted by Cell Metabolism, individuals considered overweight and who ate during any 10-hour timeframe saw a dramatic reduction in waist and circumference after 12 weeks.
Reduces risk of diabetes
A number of studies have indicated that intermittent fasting may be beneficial when attempting to reduce the risk of diabetes. Timing is everything according to researchers, as they concluded that eating within a consistent window of 8 to 10 hours may help prevent or manage chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
May lower blood pressure
In a study that compared two groups of individuals, the results found that participants who practised 16:8 intermittent fasting without calorie counting were able to reduce their systolic blood pressure compared to the control group.
It helps fight inflammation
While inflammation is your body’s natural reaction to fighting off infection and injury, chronic inflammation can often develop and can leave your body in a constant state of alert, triggering heart disease and diabetes. Intermittent fasting has been proven to induce an anti-inflammatory effect that helps reduce the risk of your body falling victim to this.
Longevity
Anyone who has dabbled in calorie-cutting knows how difficult it can be to maintain. However, intermittent fasting is a great alternative to this and has even been shown to boost your lifespan. In a study conducted with rats, when compared to those who were given unrestricted access to food and those who were fed every other day, the latter was found to live 83% longer than the rats who were offered unlimited food.
Also read:
Here’s what a registered dietician has to say about intermittent fasting
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