Light fasting is a popular weight loss method in recent years! 16/8 light fasting, 5:2 light fasting, alternate day light fasting, etc., are endless and dazzling. Which one is most effective? Are these solutions really scientific? Many questions linger in their minds, making many people who "set the flag to lose weight" dare not try it easily.

In fact, the emergence of the concept of "light fasting" is attributed to Dr. Michael Mosley, a British medical doctor. In 2012, the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC broadcast the light fasting documentary "Eat, Fast and Live Longer" in which Dr. Mosley personally participated and practiced with 600 people, advocating cyclical dieting and exercise to achieve the goal. Effectively slim down and lose weight. This seemingly inconspicuous documentary exploded the BBC's ratings and set off a global craze for light fasting.

The scientific name of light fasting is "Intermittent Fasting (IF)", which is a practice of alternating eating and extended fasting. Currently, there are 4 intermittent fasting solutions that are common in life or academia:

16-8 light fast:

Limit the daily eating time span to within 8 consecutive hours, and the remaining 16 hours are the fasting period;

5:2 light fasting:

Eat 5 days a week, 2 days are fasting days, and limit calories to 500-600kcal;

6:1 Light Fasting:

Similar to the previous one, but eating 6 days a week and fasting 1 day;

Alternate day fasting method:

Fast for 24 hours every other day, but do not limit the intake of water and other non-calorie drinks.

It is somewhat difficult for people to fast completely. Generally speaking, complete fasting days are not required. 0kcal, but the caloric intake will be limited to about 500kcal (about 2 fried chicken legs or 1 Big Mac hamburger). During the non-fasting period, you are not allowed to eat "freely" and you should follow the normal energy intake rules.

If it had the effect of losing weight alone, intermittent fasting should not be as popular as it is now. Countless scientists are constantly exploring the mysteries behind it. What is the charm of intermittent fasting, which is "preferred" by top journals such as Nature, JAMA, and NEJM?

Climbing to the top of Nature twice not only extends healthy lifespan, but also promotes nerve regeneration!

In fact, before the concept of "light fasting" emerged, the scientific community's research on "intermittent fasting" focused more on its life-extending effect. As early as the 1930s, researchers at Cornell University discovered that restricting calorie intake can nearly double the lifespan of rats! However, it is unrealistic to extend 40% of caloric intake to humans, so scientists continue to explore better fasting programs that have life-extending effects.

A research team from Columbia University in the United States has designed a unique intermittent time-restricted fasting program that can effectively improve aging, enhance muscle and neuron function, and extend the average life span of female and male fruit flies by 18% and 13% respectively. . The research was published in Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03934-0

In this study, the researchers compared Four eating methods were proposed, including eating at will, fasting at 12:12, fasting on alternate days, and not eating after lunch on alternate days. As shown below:

Four different feeding plans Ad lib Ad lib: control group, food supply 24 hours a day 12:12 fasting TFR: eating 12 hours a day, fasting 12 hours; fasting every other day IF: fasting 1 day, fasting 1 day Eating;

No eating after noon on the next day iTRF: fast from 12 noon to 8:00 the next day, and then resume eating until the next day Fasting again at noon for three days

Comparing the conditions of the four groups, it was found that only fasting after noon on alternate days (iTRF) can significantly prolong fruiting. The lifespan of flies extends the average lifespan of female fruit flies by 18% and the average lifespan of male fruit flies by 13%.

Not only that, iTRF also improved the aging symptoms of Drosophila. Not only were muscle and neuronal functions maintained well, there was less decline in crawling ability, there was less age-related protein aggregation, and intestinal microbial abundance and barrier integrity were better. In other words, fruit flies not only extend their lifespan, they also extend their healthspan even more!

Age-related decline in climbing ability in the iTRF group compared with the control group.

The researchers further explored the mechanism behind "not eating after lunch to extend life span" and found that the most important factor is nighttime autophagy regulated by circadian rhythm induced by iTRF. Autophagy is a catabolic process that maintains cellular homeostasis by promoting lysosomes to degrade intracellular damaged macromolecules and organelles. iTRF can induce enhanced autophagy activity at night, thereby extending the lifespan of Drosophila.

Not only that, intermittent fasting not only has the "miracle effect of extending life", but also promotes nerve regeneration and repair. The following year, a research team from Imperial College London also published blockbuster research results in Nature on the mechanism by which intermittent fasting promotes peripheral nerve regeneration!

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04884-x

Compared with conventionally fed control group , mice fed with an intermittent fasting regimen (eat ad libitum on one day and fast on the next) had a significantly increased axonal regeneration rate in the sciatic nerve, while axonal growth of dorsal root ganglion neurons in the spinal cord increased by about 50%.

Differences in axonal growth of dorsal root ganglion neurons in the spinal cord between the intermittent fasting group (IF, red) and the control group (AL, blue)

Further research found that intermittent fasting can increase the metabolite indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) of intestinal microorganisms and use immune-mediated mechanisms to promote the regeneration and repair of peripheral nerve axons. Function. This research may provide new ideas for the treatment and prognosis of peripheral nerve injuries!

To sum up, two Nature articles show that intermittent fasting can not only effectively extend healthy lifespan, but also promote nerve regeneration and repair! It can be seen that the benefits of intermittent fasting are not limited to weight loss, there are more mysteries that need to be explored.

16:8 The effective fasting time of light fasting is determined!

Multiple RCT studies have given specific plans

The above research has been discussed for a long time, but doesn’t it still stop at the level of animal experiments? Specifically, how humans should eat it is what more readers want to know.

Don't worry, in order to respond to everyone's demands, the editor read the literature and finally selected an intermittent fasting method suitable for most people - the 16:8 light fasting method.

A randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that controlling eating within 8 hours from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (7:00-15:00) for 14 weeks can effectively reduce weight by 6.3kg , can even improve diastolic blood pressure and mood disorders. In other words, the 16:8 light fasting method is a weight loss method that is easier to adhere to without causing depression or loss of control. It is suitable for most people to refer to.

DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.3050

In this study, participants in the intermittent fasting group were asked to finish eating between 7 and 15 p.m. , keep fasting for the other 16 hours; while the control group does not have many restrictions and can choose to eat at ≥12 hours. However, both groups were required to eat lower-calorie foods and exercise for 75-150 minutes per week.

After 14 weeks of persistence, although the weight of both groups has been significantly reduced, the weight of the participants using the 16:8 eating method has been even more obvious, reaching 6.3kg! Wouldn’t it be nice to lose 5 more pounds in 3 months? Not only that, intermittent fasting also reduced participants' diastolic blood pressure by 4mmHg.

16:8 Eating time and weight loss between the light fasting group and the control group

In addition, in the cognition of people losing weight, restricting diet can easily lead to mood swings and depression. But surprisingly, the participants who used intermittent fasting in this study were in significantly better moods, and 41% said at the end of the trial that they were still willing to continue adhering to the 16:8 light fasting method.

However, there are many time options for 16:8 light fasting. Many people have the habit of staying up late and may not get up until 11 o'clock in the morning. If you ensure that you eat between 12:00-20:00 or 6:00-14:00 for those who like to get up early, both options are considered. Acts 16:8 Light fasting, but will it make any difference? How can it be more effective?

Previously, a research team from Peking Union Medical College discussed the different eating times of 16:8 light fasting and got a specific answer: the eating time of 16:8 light fasting is controlled between 6:00-15:00 (early eating ) is much more effective than 11:00-20:00 (eating in the middle). In other words, skipping dinner is the key point of light fasting!

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28662-5

Among them, the early feeding group (eTRF ), the eating time is limited to 6:00-15:00, the eating time of the mid-feeding group (mTRF) is limited to 11:00-20:00, and the control group eats at will, with no restriction on eating time.

From the perspective of weight loss effect, the eTRF group lost more weight, with a significant reduction of 1.6 (±1.4) kg in 5 weeks, while the mTRF and control groups did not change much. In addition, the body fat percentage and body fat mass of eTRF also decreased the most among the three groups.

Metabolism and weight changes in the three groups

Not only is the weight loss effect good, but the eTRF group also has a lowering effect on insulin resistance and fasting blood sugar. Most obviously, metabolism is also improved. In addition, compared with the mTRF group and the control group, inflammatory factors, such as TNF-α and IL-8, were also greatly reduced in participants in the eTFR group.

Obviously, the eating time of 16:8 light fasting should be earlier rather than later, that is, the effect of 6:00-15:00 is significantly better than that of 11:00-20:00. Not only to reduce fat more effectively, but also to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce fasting blood sugar, anti-inflammatory and other effects, improving the "cost-effectiveness" of 16:8 light fasting. Of course, the reason behind this may still be attributed to biological circadian rhythm.

Okay, the health benefits and specific methods of intermittent fasting have been sorted out. The next step is up to you...

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