Intermittent Fasting - Don't Do It.

The popularity of "intermittent fasting" (IF) seems to be spreading rapidly into the usual diet culture saturated spaces, but I've also seen an increased number of clients claiming their medical doctors have advised them to look into IF for their "health." Perhaps the fact that the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published a review article in December (Cabo & Mattson, 2019) on the topic has spurred the "but it's science!" attitude around the IF trend. 

It's been known for some time that caloric restriction has effects on aging and the life span in animals (Weindruch & Sohal. 1997). (Did you notice that those studies are in animals, not humans??). BUT, more importantly, what we've known for even longer is that caloric restriction is NOT SUSTAINABLE. I don't mean to shout, but I can't help but become super frustrated by dieting advice "in the name of science and health" that will undoubtedly create more disorder and poorer health. I'm here to say that if you've been told that you need to do IF or some other restrictive eating practice to improve your health, that's not the case.

Science actually is very clear that calorie restriction causes food preoccupation, disordered eating, and weight cycling. Weight cycling causes metabolic harm, such as increased risk of diabetes and heart disease (precisely what IF is purported to prevent!). So, let's not get bogged down thinking that limiting our food intake to certain times of the day is going to result in a better long-term outcome - it's not. 

Here's a quote directly from the NEJM piece: "on switching to an intermittent- fasting regimen, many people will experience hunger, irritability, and a reduced ability to concentrate during periods of food restriction." I can't help but want to shout "OBVIOUSLY!" Bottom line: Intermitting fasting is just another fact word for "diet." Don't be fooled.

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