{"id":4333,"date":"2022-06-17T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=4333"},"modified":"2022-06-01T08:46:16","modified_gmt":"2022-06-01T08:46:16","slug":"is-intermittent-fasting-the-diet-for-you-heres-what-the-science-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/is-intermittent-fasting-the-diet-for-you-heres-what-the-science-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Is intermittent fasting the diet for you? Here\u2019s what the science says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Intermittent fasting could have an array of health benefits, but as of yet there are no long-term studies into its effects.\n neirfy\/iStock via Getty Images Plus<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\nMcKale Montgomery<\/a>, Oklahoma State University<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

What if I told you all you need to do to lose weight is read a calendar and tell time? These are the basics for successfully following an intermittent fasting diet. <\/p>\n\n

Can it be that simple, though? Does it work? And what is the scientific basis for fasting? As a registered dietitian and expert in human nutrition and metabolism<\/a>, I am frequently asked such questions.<\/p>\n\n

Simply stated, intermittent fasting is defined by alternating set periods of fasting with periods in which eating is permitted. One method is alternate-day fasting<\/a>. On \u201cfast days,\u201d followers of this form of fasting are restricted to consuming no more than 500 calories per day; on \u201cfeast days,\u201d which occur every other day, they can eat freely, with no restrictions on the types or quantities of foods eaten. <\/p>\n\n

Other methods include the increasingly popular 5:2 method<\/a>. This form of fasting involves five days of feasting and two days of fasting per week. <\/p>\n\n

Another variation relies on time-restricted eating. That means followers should fast for a specified number of hours \u2013 typically 16 to 20 per day \u2013 while freely consuming foods within a designated four- to eight-hour period.<\/p>\n\n

But what about eating breakfast and then small meals throughout<\/a> the day to keep the body\u2019s metabolism running? After all, that\u2019s the conventional wisdom<\/a> that many of us grew up with. <\/p>\n\n

To answer these questions, it helps to understand the basics of human metabolism. <\/p>\n\n

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