Metabolism

Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular weight loss methods practiced today. Unlike many diet fads, however, this unique way of eating has serious science to back it up. According to new research on intermittent fasting and metabolic syndrome, intermittent fasting may have particular benefits for people who have diabetes and other diseases involving the metabolism.

What Is Metabolic Syndrome?

The past few decades have brought an increase in several chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Doctors and scientists believe that these are all part of a disease affecting the entire metabolism, which they call metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is an umbrella term that includes:

• type 2 diabetes and other forms of high blood sugar
• low levels of “good” HDL cholesterol and high levels of “bad” blood lipids such as triglycerides
• an “apple-shaped” body with a comparatively large waist
• elevated blood pressure

Metabolic syndrome is a serious and even life-threatening condition. People who have this disease are at higher risk of a variety of devastating events such as heart attack and stroke.

There is no cure for metabolic syndrome. However, the cluster of symptoms that comprise this condition can often be successfully treated to reduce overall risks. While there are medications that can help, lifestyle changes that lower blood glucose, lower blood pressure and reduce weight appear to be the best approach.

Intermittent Fasting and Metabolic Syndrome

Changing your diet and losing weight are important factors in overcoming metabolic syndrome. However, accomplishing these goals can be very difficult. New research suggests that intermittent fasting may help people with metabolic syndrome to lose weight and begin to successfully treat their disease.

Researchers looked at a group of people with metabolic syndrome, including people who had serious conditions that required medication. They put these people on a diet that included intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is a meal timing method in which people take in calories only for a short period of the day, in this case ten hours. The participants in this study were allowed to choose which ten hours they preferred and also to eat as much as they wanted during their ten hour window.

Soon after starting this new eating regimen, participants reported having more energy and getting better sleep. After three months, the participants in the study had lost about 3 percent of their body weight and an average of 3 percent of their waist size despite not restricting their calories or the types of food that they ate. While this is not a dramatic weight loss, there were other surprising physical changes. The people in this study had lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure and healthier cholesterol levels.

Intermittent fasting also appears to be more sustainable in terms of long-term change. Although it can be difficult to stick to a diet, two-thirds of study participants elected to continue eating in a time-restricted manner after the study ended.

Is Intermittent Fasting Right For You?

There have been several studies that found health benefits in intermittent fasting. People who implement this style of diet lose weight more rapidly and tend to keep it off as long as they stick with the diet. They have improved insulin sensitivity, which leads to lower blood glucose levels and a lower risk of developing diabetes. They have lower cholesterol and lower risk of heart disease. Perhaps most surprisingly, they also experience better cognitive function and attention levels.

Although these are all dramatic effects, the prior studies have all examined health and weight loss benefits only in healthy people and lab animals. This new study is the first one to look closely at how intermittent fasting can affect people with metabolic syndrome and other common health issues. Although there will likely be much more study in the coming months and years, intermittent fasting appears to be a good choice for people looking to overcome metabolic syndrome.

Chronodiet: A Diet in Tune With Your Circadian Rhythm

Intermittent fasting is likely so effective due to its natural alignment with our natural circadian rhythms: Our ancestors did not eat through all of their waking hours. One particular type of intermittent fasting called the Chronodiet is meant to maximize this interaction with internal clocks.

In the Chronodiet, people eat three healthy, varied meals per day. The morning meal is heavily composed of carbohydrates to give you healthy energy as you begin your day. Lunch is a mix of protein, carbs and fats, while dinner is mainly proteins. This ensures a good balance of foods. In addition, people eating this kind of diet will leave at least twelve hours between dinner and breakfast, so they go into a fasting state overnight.

This is just one of many kinds of intermittent fasting. Although the Chronodiet has special features, any type of intermittent fasting may have serious health benefits. If you want to achieve a healthier lifestyle, fasting and other restricted-time diets may be a positive change.

A great deal has been written about the effects of diet and other lifestyle factors on diabetes. We know that eating low-carbohydrate meals and less processed foods can be particularly important. However, very little is known about how timing of meals interacts with diabetes and other metabolic diseases. A recent study suggests that the best diet for diabetes is one in which you eat in sync with your internal clock.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is one of the greatest public health risks of our time, affecting millions of people worldwide. There are two different kinds of diabetes, both of which affect the way that the body metabolizes sugar.

When sugar enters our bloodstream, the pancreas releases insulin. Insulin “unlocks” certain cell receptors, allowing them to take in the sugar so it can feed the cells and fuel our metabolic processes.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops making insulin, leaving cells to starve even as blood sugar levels soar. In type 2 diabetes, cells instead become insensitive to insulin, requiring increasing amounts of the hormone in order to allow sugar into cells.

High blood sugar levels can be extremely destructive to our blood vessels and nerves. As a result, untreated diabetes can lead not just to starvation of our cells and tissues, but to neuropathy, vascular disease, stroke and even heart disease. Uncontrolled blood sugar also can lead to amputation and death.

Although there are many medications that can help to control diabetes and prevent its most deadly complications, diet is also an essential part of the solution. In fact, medications alone cannot control diabetes for most people.

Diet and Metabolic Disease

Because diabetes is caused by disorders of metabolism, diet is a crucial part of managing the disease. However, until recently there has not been a lot of evidence about exactly what kind of diet can help. We know that low-carbohydrates and high-protein diets are generally the best, but not much else.

In order to keep blood sugar levels as even as possible, doctors have often recommended that diabetics eat six small meals a day rather than three larger ones. However, data suggested that this could actually lead to worsening of the disease, particularly in severe diabetics who are dependent on injected insulin.

A new study suggests that eating to compliment the natural oscillations of the circadian rhythm may be a better choice. Researchers divided diabetics into two groups: one eating three meals a day and one eating the recommended six meals a day. Both groups at the same amount of calories and carbohydrates; the key difference was how many meals these were divided into.

Surprisingly, diabetics who ate only three meals a day did not show the blood glucose fluctuations that experts would expect. Instead, they had lower blood glucose and needed less medication and less insulin throughout the day. The decrease in insulin led to weight loss, which in turn stabilized blood sugar levels even further.

Links Between Diabetes and Internal Clocks

How can eating three meals a day be more successful than eating multiple smaller meals in controlling blood glucose levels? Researchers believe that the circadian rhythm may play a role. Humans evolved to eat relatively rarely and to eat earlier in the day. Our internal clocks function best when we have plenty of time between meals.

In addition, people who are trying to fit in six meals a day often end up eating late in the evening and even at night. This has been found in several studies to lead to even higher blood glucose levels as well as difficulty maintaining a healthy weight.

This is not the first link between diabetes and the circadian rhythm. Several studies from the world’s most prominent research facilities suggest a link between our internal clocks and our risk of developing diabetes in the first place. In fact, several of the genes that control insulin sensitivity also control our internal clocks. This may be the reason that diabetics who eat fewer meals have less insulin resistance and lower blood sugar: The clock genes that naturally turn on and off throughout the day also increase insulin sensitivity at specific times.

Whole Body Health for a Lifetime

Eating along with your circadian rhythm is not just good for diabetics, but for all people who wish to lead a long and healthy life. Several studies have found that a dysregulated circadian rhythm can increase your odds of developing not just diabetes, but heart disease, stroke and a variety of debilitating or deadly diseases. This is unfortunate news for many modern people, as we are getting less sleep and less-regular sleep than ever before in human history.

If you want to have a long and healthy life, it is time to pay attention to your internal clocks. Make sure you get the right amount of sleep and that it is as high-quality as you can muster. In addition, work to keep a stable circadian rhythm, going to bed, waking and eating at roughly the same times every day. When it comes to your metabolism and your well-being, timing is everything.