7 Ways intermittent Fasting Benefits Your Health

Lisa Franchi October 01, 2014

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Fasting has become increasingly popular over the years, especially among the health and fitness enthusiasts. More and more studies indicate that eating less may be the key towards a healthier and longer life.

Fasting is actually good for your metabolism.

They say skipping meals is bad for metabolism. But intermittent fasting, when done right, can actually be good for your digestive health. Fasting helps regulate digestion and promote healthy bowel function, thus improving your metabolic function.

It promotes longevity.

Proponents of fasting claim that the less you eat the longer you will live. But their claims are backed by scientific studies. Lab results show that drastically cutting food intake can nearly double longevity in rodents, worms, and flies, and a massive 20-year study on rhesus monkeys, a species closely related to humans, found that the benefits of the diet seem to be universal: a resistance to cancer, heart disease, and age-related cognitive decline.

It boosts brain function.

Fasting has shown to improve brain function, as it boosts the production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF.) BDNF activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons, and triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health. This protein also protects your brain cells from changes associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

It detoxifies your body.

Fasting is a healthy way to detoxify. I can also help clear the skin because with the body temporarily freed from digestion, it’s able to focus its regenerative energies on other systems. Not eating anything for just one day has shown to help the body clean up the toxins and regulate the functioning of other organs of the body like liver, kidneys and other parts.

Fasting reduces oxidative stress.

Fasting decreases the accumulation of oxidative radicals in the cell, and thereby prevents oxidative damage to cellular proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids associated with aging and disease.

It improves insulin sensitivity.

Fasting has shown to have a positive effect on insulin sensitivity, allowing you to tolerate carbohydrates (sugar) better than if you didn’t fast. A study showed that after periods of fasting, insulin becomes more effective in telling cells to take up glucose from blood.

It strengthens your immune system.

When animals get sick they stop eating and instead focus on resting. Humans are the only species who look for food when we are ill, even when we do not need it. Fasting improves the immune system because it reduces free radical damage, regulates inflammatory conditions in the body and starves off cancer cell formation.