(WNDU) – Many diets focus on what you eat, but intermittent fasting focuses on when you eat.
There are different ways to do this, such as eating for eight hours a day and then fasting for the rest of the day. Fasting can also mean choosing to eat only one meal a day for two days a week.
The idea behind it is that when the body cannot eat anything for hours, the stored sugar is used up and then it starts to burn fat.
And now we learn that nightly fasting may have more benefits than just weight loss.
Desiree Valdez, a 59-year-old math teacher, enjoys helping others solve problems, but her own health has been poor over the past year.
“During this time, blood pressure and weight increased,” Valdez said.
No matter what she tried, nothing worked.
“I committed to a 16-hour fast and eight-hour eating,” Valdez said.
Dr. Maria Delgado, a hypertension specialist at the University of Miami, recommended that Valdez try fasting overnight to naturally reset her body.
“You eat, eat, eat, eat, eat. And that includes eating before bed. That in itself is a big problem because it activates your pancreas. It increases your risk of diabetes, your cholesterol is not metabolized well,” said Dr. Delgado.
Nighttime fasting increases metabolism, prevents late-night blood sugar spikes, and reduces inflammation. One study found that a fasting window of over 14 hours alters genes linked to longevity, and intermittent fasting for 30 days lowers the risk of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and neuropsychiatric disorders.
“Night is the time when cells rest, but it is also the time of cell regeneration,” said Dr. Delgado. “So you can cleanse your body during this time when you are not eating.”
As part of the fast, Valdez commits to drinking only water, green tea and black coffee during the 16 hours of the fast. During the other eight hours, she eats whatever she wants. After six months, she had lost nearly 50 pounds and her blood pressure was normal.
“I used to be just fit, a fit 50-year-old, a little chubby. But now I feel youthful,” Valdez said.
Another benefit of time-restricted feeding is that it may help Alzheimer’s patients. A study from UC San Diego found that mice fed on a time-restricted schedule showed improvements in memory and sleep.
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