Fasting has been the talk of the town for quite some time. Many people are adapting this method to promote health and lose weight. Also, during the Ramadan season, many individuals showcase their faith through fasting. A number of studies have suggested that fasting entails a lot of health benefits including weight loss, lower blood pressure and reduced cholesterol.
One of the widely-used intermittent fasting methods is the 5:2 diet. It entails eating regular meals for five days a week and fasting for two non-consecutive days. However, for the two fasting days, they recommend limiting caloric intake to just 500 calories.
"Studies of intermittent fasting show that not only do people see improvements in blood pressure and their cholesterol levels, but also in their insulin sensitivity," Dr. Michael Mosley told Medical News Today.
It is a fact that people love to eat. That is why more and more people are gaining excessive weight over the years. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, the number of obese people doubled since 1980 and in their latest survey in 2008, approximately 1.4 billion adults and those 20 and under are obese. In people ages 20 and above, 35% are overweight and about 11% are obese.
The 5:2 Diet is also termed as intermittent fasting where the person can reduce the overall calorie intake over the week. This will help ensure that the person will not feel deprived. Once a person feels deprived of food, the more he will binge eat.
In fact, in a study by Bronwen Martin, Mark Mattson, and Stuart Maudsley (2006), caloric restriction and intermittent fasting are two diets that promotes healthy and successful brain aging. Fast Diet implements these two types of diet. According to their study, caloric restriction with intermittent fasting result in increased resistance and protection from oxidative, excitotoxic and metabolic stress and damages. This promotes healthy aging in the brain and it prevents the formation of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
Meanwhile, according to Stephen Anton and Christiaan Leeuwenburgh (2013), caloric restriction and intermittent fasting are the only non-genetic interventions that have been revealed to extend maximal life span of humans. In studies that have been done in overweight individuals, it was revealed that CR and IF has shown positive results in reducing cardiac illnesses, enhancing insulin-sensitivity and improving mitochondrial function.
Lastly, this diet promotes weight loss. Intermittent fasting and caloric restriction help individuals control their hunger pangs and promotes satiety. However, there are also mechanisms in the body that happens during this regimen that aids in losing weight.