For many, the arrival of a new year is an ideal period to change habits that improve health. On many occasions, this includes starting a new diet.
The problem is that many of the most popular do not have scientific evidence to support them. But an article published today in the medical journal The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the intermittent fasting diet is a separate case.
This is a model that has been gaining adherents recently and that consists of stopping eating for periods or reducing calories significantly for days.
The new article, written by the neuroscientist American Mark Mattson, professor of neuroscience in the Johns Hopkins University (United States), includes a review of studies, done in both animals and humans, and concludes that this diet can be part of a healthy life.
Mattson has published at least a dozen research on the subject, which he has studied for more than 20 years.
Similar to exercise
According to his text, intermittent fasting has a wide spectrum of benefits to improve many conditions, such as obesity and cardiovascular disease.
According to the document, This diet not only helps with weight loss, but also regulates blood sugar, improves lipid levels and reduces inflammation, a state at the cellular level that can cause heart problems and even cancer.
“Our research suggests that the effects of intermittent fasting are similar to those of regular exercise,” Mattson tells “El Mercurio.”
According to the specialist, at least four studies in animals and people found that this diet plan lowers blood pressure and resting heart rate, for example.
“On the other hand, it favors cellular health by triggering an ancient process of human adaptation to periods of food shortage, called metabolic change,” explains the scientist.
“This improves the ability of cells and organs to respond to that stress, resulting in resistance to chronic diseases,” adds Mattson, who was head of the Neuroscience Laboratory of the National Institute of Aging in the United States and has received numerous awards For your research.
Eliana Reyes, director of the Chilean Association of Clinical Nutrition, Obesity and Metabolism and nutritionist at the U. de los Andes Clinic, agrees with Mattson.
“Both studies and patients show that losing weight with fasting is very similar to that of a traditional diet, but fasting has shown better results to improve insulin resistance and lipid levels.”, he assures.
Reyes explains that intermittent fasting has been shown to promote lipolysis, that is, the mobilization of fat, which would influence the improvement of lipid levels.
Verónica Irribarra, a nutritionist at the UC Christus Health Network, says there is still research to determine the possible side effects of maintaining an intermittent fast for years.
“The important thing is that during periods of eating, food is healthy and balanced,” says the specialist.
According to doctors, patients may experience lack of concentration, dizziness and fatigue the first two weeks of fasting, symptoms that, they say, should pass after that period.
“Calorie reduction is beneficial for weight loss, but intermittent fasting is superior in its ability to reduce abdominal fat and improve glucose regulation,” established.
Not for all Pregnant women and children should not make any model of fasting, agree the doctors interviewed. It is not recommended for diabetics either, since periods without eating can worsen glycemic control.
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