Intermittent fasting 101

Intermittent fasting
12pm-8pm eating window.

When you fast, several things happen in your body on the cellular and molecular level.
For example, your body changes hormone levels to make stored body fat more accessible.
Your cells also initiate important repair processes, and change the expression of genes.
Here are some changes that occur in your body when you fast:
• Human Growth Hormone (HGH): The levels of growth hormone skyrocket, increasing as much as 5-fold. This has benefits for fat loss and muscle gain, to name a few.
• Insulin: Insulin sensitivity improves and levels of insulin drop dramatically. Lower insulin levels make stored body fat more accessible.
• Cellular repair: When fasted, your cells initiate cellular repair processes. This includes autophagy, where cells digest and remove old and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells
• Gene expression: There are changes in the function of genes related to longevity and protection against disease
These changes in hormone levels, cell function and gene expression are responsible for the health benefits of intermittent fasting.
BOTTOM LINE:
When you fast, human growth hormone levels go up and insulin levels go down. Your body’s cells also change the expression of genes and initiate important cellular repair processes.


Intermittent Fasting Is a Very Powerful Weight Loss Tool
Weight loss is the most common reason that people try intermittent fasting
By making you eat fewer meals, intermittent fasting can lead to an automatic reduction in calorie intake.
Additionally, intermittent fasting changes hormone levels to facilitate weight loss.
In addition to lower insulin and increased growth hormone levels, it increases release of the fat burning hormone norepinephrine (noradrenaline).
Because of these changes in hormones, short-term fasting may actually increase your metabolic rate by 3.6-14%
By helping you eat less (fewer calories in) and helping you burn more (more calories out), intermittent fasting causes weight loss by changing both sides of the calorie equation.