In the never-ending quest for that Holy Grail of sustainable weight loss, more people are experimenting with some form of fasting. Celebs have helped popularize quick fixes. Many may recall Beyonce’s pre-Grammy 14 days of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. Her liquid tryst resulted in the usual rapid weight loss, but it was soon followed by the predictable regain and then some. Recently, a flurry of books have been published by a wide spectrum of authors, spanning the spectrum of body builders, British broadcasters and even respected researchers. So, what’s all the commotion about? Is this a trending fad, or does fasting represent a revolution in health and wellness?
First, just what is a fast?
The dictionary definition of fasting is to abstain from all or some kinds of food or drink. This is not new news to anyone who has fasted as a religious observance. The Old English faestan means “to fast as a religious duty” and “to make firm; establish, confirm, pledge” and observe abstinence. Catholics vary the severity and frequency of Lenten fasting. Withholding food during sunlight hours throughout the month of Ramadan is a foundation of Islamic religion. People have practiced some mode of fasting since antiquity. The philosopher Plato once said, ” I fast for greater physical and mental efficiency.” A 3800 BC Egyptian pyramid inscription notes, ” Humans live on one quarter of what they eat; on the other three-quarters lives their doctor.” So, most are familiar with and don’t dispute the practice of religious fasting. Nor, for that matter, the fasting required for lab testing and surgical procedures.
But what about fasting as a way to manage weight and enhance health and wellness?
The reality is that over the course of the last century, lay people and medical professionals alike have tried to tackle this fast-health connection. In 1911, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Upton Sinclair penned his take on the power of intermittent caloric restriction in ” The Fasting Cure.” In 1952, Germany’s Otto Buchinger founded the European Buchinger Kliniks to supervise his therapeutic fasting program. Today, there are more than 500 books covering a dizzying array of fasting protocols, from ongoing caloric restriction to alternate day fasting. How can you navigate around misinformation, and grab some golden nuggets of information that you might put to use in your own life?
Well, I did some homework for you. When I perform due diligence on a topic, I typically rely upon two essential resources to enlighten and keep me grounded in reality. The first is my large, highly engaged and often whimsical Facebook community of men and women who enjoy sharing their wit and wisdom. Recently, I asked them to tell me about their feelings and personal experiences with fasting. I received a deluge of comments. What I discovered was the definition of fasting spans a full gamut, from water only to commercial shakes consumed alongside any variation on normal food.
Kathy wrote:
When I was 20, I used Slim-Fast as my breakfast and only ate a banana and Health Choice meal the rest of the day, and lost 20 pounds before returning for my junior year in college. Yes, I lost the weight fast, but I didn’t feel like I learned how to be healthy. I wasn’t doing anything else healthy, really. So unless “fasting” is done as part of a full program, I don’t think it’s good overall.
Rebecca noted:
Been doing intermittent fasting four days a week for three months. I feel great and am leaner, with more muscle than I have been since I was in my 20s. I eat all of my food in a shorter eating window. I fast 16 hours (mostly while sleeping) and eat in an eight-hour window.
While Donna chimed in:
I like my food too much to do that. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. Staying on track with my food plan + lots of exercise = healthy for me.
And Hezi said:
For the last four years, I am fasting every first Tuesday of the month. It is not a diet plan for me, just a plan of giving a 24-hour break to my systems. I drink the same amount of water every day, and do my regular daily activities.
In essence, people are all over the place on this fasting issue. To help parse through the confusion, I turn to my second source of information, and that is one derived from credible academic researchers who have published data in peer-reviewed journals. After scanning and reviewing the literature, I discovered the brilliant work of Dr. Valter Longo, one of the great pioneers in the field of longevity as well as fasting. As director of the University of Southern California Longevity Institute, and professor of gerontology and biological science, Longo has distinguished himself as one of the most highly respected leaders in his field, studying cutting edge new ways to optimize life span, decrease disease risk and at the same time, achieve sustainable weight management. Accomplish these three goals, and you have achieved the triple win.
Longo’s most recent study garnered national media interest because of it’s unique science-based approach to manipulating diet in a way that imitates or mimics fasting while avoiding the normal downside side effects. Rather than use the word fasting, Longo and his team decided to call his protocol a “periodic diet.” In the human clinical trial, people were asked to eat their normal dietary intake, and then for five days follow a reduced calorie plan that entailed:
Day 1: 1, 090 calories comprised of 10 percent protein, 56 percent fat, 34 percent carb
Days 2 to 5: 725 calories comprised of 9 percent protein, 44 percent fat and 47 percent carb
This five-day periodic diet cycle was repeated once a month for three months. The results of the five-day regimen were startling: Risk factors and biomarkers for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and aging decreased markedly, while regenerative markers, indicating optimal aging, increased significantly. What I found of great interest was how this protocol debunked the myth that muscle mass would decline. For that matter, the weight loss that occurred was fat, not muscle, and further, some of that was intra-abdominal fat, which is most highly associated with an increase in disease and mortality.
Longo’s work, and that of other scientists in this field, have demonstrated that in animal and human trials, a monitored and healthy approach to this kind of short-term periodic plan provides many benefits, including:
Improved: insulin levels, human growth hormone, cellular repair, gene expression, mood;
Increases: metabolic rate, removal of excess body fat, brain-derived neurotropic factor;
Preserves: muscle mass;
Decreases: appetite, cravings, oxidative stress, inflammation, cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose;
May prevent: cancer, Alzheimer’s dementia;
May extend: lifespan and quality of life.
My recommendation is to steer clear of faddish fasts and stick with validated, science-based programs. Please consult with a knowledgeable, credible nutrition or medical professional before embarking on any fasting-like plan, because this kind of nutritional plan is clearly not for everyone, especially those diagnosed with eating disorders, children and those with special medical conditions.
For everyone else, this newly evolving field may represent an exciting new world of opportunities to achieve that triple win — optimal longevity, decreased disease and yes, that Holy Grail of sustainable weight management. Stay tuned.
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Fasting for Weight Loss: Fad or Phenom? originally appeared on usnews.com
