Intermittent Fasting - It’s Pretty Heart Wrenching At Times

Despite many joyous cheers raised for time-restricted eating schedules being absolute panaceas to obtain better health, glitches were pointed out. They come pricey. Like the 8-hours schedule. Too many days of it and you chance a heart attack. 

There are many variations in the whole of intermittent fasting philosophy and ideation, the ‘8-hours’ is one type. Standard schedules allow a 12 hours to 16 hours gap. There are 4 hour gaps too. But less-than-8-hours bear no substantial benefit. Or maybe, subtle ones still awaiting their discovery. 

Follows some arguments that try to focus on facts and statistics.

Intermittent Fasting: A Basic Recap 

Calorie restriction is reducing calorie intake without malnutrition. 

The general idea behind these restricted eating schedules is they improve cardiometabolic health. They keep bodily inflammations, blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipid levels under control. They bring weight loss and keep your metabolic health up. All these indicate a reduced threat from cardiovascular diseases. It’s said that IF is also  helpful towards curing several chronic illnesses.

4 Faces to IF: The Types Explained in Brief

• ADF: You fast for 24 hours on alternate days.
• MADF: The modified version. You eat 25% of what you usually eat on alternate days.
• PF: Periodic fasting limits food intake to 600 calories a day for two days a week.
• Time-restricted Eating: Limits your daily eating time.

A Rude Awakening - IF Increases Risk of Cardiovascular Death

Cardiovascular death and cardiac health is a complex topic that comes with IF. Research about IF and its long term outcomes on cardiovascular health still has a long way to go. Till then, you have to be careful that the IF-induced autophagy doesn't go too far and cellular repair doesn’t change into cellular breakdown [ref]. Do it right and you'll see autophagy keep the cellular metabolism rumbling well and keep all body tissues - including that of the heart - healthy and fit [ref]. 

Young people, particularly those in their developmental age, must be extra careful with intermittent fasting. Cellular breakdown shall thwart your physiological and cognitive growths [ref]. 

The Good and the Bad Points of Calorie Restrictions and Intermittent Fasting

CR affects metabolic parameters positively. This helps pre-diabetic and insulin-resistant patients keep from seeking pharmacological remedies. IF, on the other hand, enhances cellular health and better immunity to diseases. It doesn’t bring your weight down unless you are also into some weight-reducing regime. IF brings changes in eating and sleeping patterns. The changes in metabolic rhythm are due to this[ref].

It’s important to find out which intermittent fasting plan will lift you and which one will bring you down. A look at the side effects of intermittent fasting will help you to discuss things out with a medical professional if you are to get into IF. Always remember to choose a plan that complies with your lifestyle. Else - 

• Intermittent fasting will make you feel sick.

Fasting beyond your limits will cause headaches; will turn you lethargic both physically and mentally; shall get you irate and will induce constipation. These unwanted side effects can only be countered if your plan is in sync with your tolerance threshold. It is therefore, highly recommended not to stick to one particular type for more than 5 days at a stretch. What’s even worse, if it lowers your blood sugar level (hypoglycemia) or blood pressure (hypotension)[ref], you might fall and give yourself a big injury.  

• An intense hunger causes you to overeat.

Craving is the other side of the IF coin. This strong, biological push from your subconscious to fill the nutritional deficiency caused by fasting is due to an excess of glucagon levels [ref] in your body. Don’t let yourself get gluttony into an overdrive and ruin the goodness of IF that you’ve accumulated so painstakingly. Similarly, don’t even think about rewarding yourself by indulging into unhealthy diets on non-fasting days, thinking once doesn’t matter”. For, it does. However, on the flip side, a little amount of junk food once in a fortnight will help to keep your leptin hormone high [ref]. This will take care of the cravings up to a great extent. 

• Older Adults Lose Weight not so Healthily through Intermittent Fasting.

Intermittent fasting is risky in some cases, especially for those with marginally healthy body weight. It makes you lose too much weight, affecting your bone health, your immune system, and deplete your energy levels drastically. But then again, how does Ramadan fasting exert those positive metabolic effects and an improved gastrointestinal motility?[ref] Could it be genetic predisposition for a selected mass, developed over generations?

Are You on Medications? Maybe IF isn’t for You

Intermittent fasting is meant for bodies that are doing relatively fine. To know that, a doctor’s consultation is a must. Else, you might skip meals only to miss a heartbeat [ref]. Limiting calory intake time too much is far more dangerous for you if you have certain health-related concerns. 

Diabetes is one. Hypertension another. Both face an imbalance of sodium and potassium, along with other minerals. Longer-than-normal stretches of fasting isn’t for the diabetic and hypertensive individuals. Neither for those whose medication needs to go in on a full stomach. Unless the gaps are for that long as between the dose timings. And definitely, those are included who feel nauseated or get abdominal irritations if their stomachs stay empty for long[ref].

Are You Skinny and Bony? - I.F. Might be Great For You!

That is, if you start with a 4-hour fast. That way, you won’t lock in the calories. Learn how to get more nutrition through fewer foods. Start with maintaining your daily calories first.  

Reduce the Nasty Side Effects of Intermittent Fasting

This will take you to try out the various windows while concentrating the same or more nutrition through fewer foods. Focus upon the thermogenic value [ref] of each  food. Ease into IF; go from the lowest to the higher reductions. Give at least three days to feel how you can cope with the current count.  Once you latch on to it, start reducing the time window over a span of at least six months.

WARNING

1. You must not discontinue your ongoing medications by any means. If the gaps make you miss out on your medications, drop the idea of IF.  Consult your attending physician if you want to go IF that badly.
2. Stay correctly hydrated with the most calorie-free beverage i.e. water. Black coffee, too, is 0 calories, but coffee dehydrates.
3. Modifying or customising an IF plan is the job of your doctor. if you need to take medication with food.