Limiting when you let yourself eat sure is a popular trend called intermittent fasting.

The idea is to only eat during a certain window of time over a 24 hour period. The goal being to help loose weight (why most people do or want to do this), metabolic health and cellular repair. By allowing your body to focus on other things besides digestion, it’s suggested this may improve oxidative stress and alleviate many chronic health concerns.

The problem is that by restricting food to an 8 hour window it provides a greater than 100% increase in the risk of a cardiovascular event! That’s a heart attack or stroke. Which is the leading cause of death in America!

Studies also show a reduction in muscle mass. That’s not a pretty way to loose weight. And cancer rates also increase during intermittent fasting. Yikes, why do this?

Moreover, we humans are designed to handle stress, in particular a lack of regular meal times or food in general. It’s really only been about a 100 years that most Americans have had food easily available to them and on the table to eat. Our bodies still operate under this genetic design to function when calories are limited. Restrict food intake, the body thinks its starving and can hold on to weight. So for those fasting for weight loss reasons, this won’t work. If you are already under stress or have anxiety, then avoiding regular meals jacks up adrenal function. The adrenals are needed to manage stress. If these organs are unhappy, the entire body suffers. Hormonal imbalances will occur in response to cortisol levels and a vicious cycle ensues. Those over 40 will definitely notice these hormonal changes. Starving yourself won’t fix them!

For those desiring weight loss, a more regular eating schedule has consistently shown better outcomes of success and healthy longevity. Diet programs focusing on portion control over avoidance always do better than extreme approaches to weight loss. Adrenal function does better with a steady supply of nutrients, especially protein. Blood sugar levels must be regulated well or adrenal function suffers. Those whom are already challenged with glucose problems should not be skipping meals at all; their adrenal function is likely already compromised.

Fasting does of course have it’s placed and is encouraged at times. There are religious reasons in which fasting is desirable. But it’s only for a few days, not a lifetime choice. There is little harm in short-term fasting to help the body get over a chronic issue and by allowing the gut to rest, the person may feel better sooner than others. Medically supervised fasting also has a purpose.

But at no time should intermittent fasting be a chronic lifestyle choice. Read Dr. Bier’s article below. There is no free lunch!

Let’s talk about your health goals and the ideal way you should eat to get there.