Tag: latest diet craze

WAIT….not so fast! It sounded so good at first – EAT ALL YOU WANT…. just NOT when you want.  Is that the secret to staying thin and healthy?Read this but remember to always consult your doctor before starting a diet and take everything with a grain of salt.  This may not be the diet for you. This is one of the most recent buzzed-about diet crazes of late – it’s called “Intermittent Fasting (or IF for short), and it’s different from any other diet you’ve ever read about.  IF lets you eat anything you want (see? –  It started off so good) just not when you want (so you must use some kind of self control).  And despite the “fasting” label you don’t ever have to go completely without food.  Confused?

Bill Gifford investigates the science behind the latest diet fad.

The non-feeding frenzy has been fueled in part by The Fast Diet, a best-selling book from England. (The U.S. edition was released last February.)  The idea behind it is simple: You can eat normally on five days out of the week, but on two nonconsecutive days (you pick them) you are limited to two small meals totaling just 500 calories (600 for men). Coauthors Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer, both journalists, insist that this 5:2 eating pattern not only helps you lose weight, it improves a range of metabolic and even cognitive function, and may even help delay aging. The good news is that their claim seems to be backed up by a growing body of scientific research.  Even better, the diet does not entail actual long-term fasting, you’re not going without food, you’re just going with less food.

Finally, intermittent fasting is almost infinitely flexible, and you can use it to design an eating program that fits your goals and your level of willpower.  Some scientists believe that by alternating our eating patterns, we more closely mimic the feast-or-famine cycles that our prehistoric ancestors knew, those cycles in turn, helped shape our DNA.  “Just like you need a good light/dark cycle to regulate your sleep, your body needs an eating/fasting cycle,” says Satchin Panda, a biologist in San Diego. Panda recently coauthored a study that found that mice on a high-fat diet gained far less weight when their eating hours were restricted to an eight-hour period than mice with 24-7 access to the same high-fat food – despite consuming the same number of calories.  Food for thought.

During the fasting part of the cycle, scientists believe, our cells gradually switch over to a kind of survival mode, activating chemical reactions that not only burn off excess fat but also have been shown to combat the effects of aging.  Studies have found that brief periods of fasting bring some of the same benefits of longer-term caloric restriction, such as increased insulin sensitivity, improved cholesterol profiles, better cognitive function, and, of course, weight loss. Animal studies have shown a reduced risk of cancer.  Why? Like exercise, fasting induces a mild stress, says Mark Mattson, a neuroscientist at the National Institute of Aging.  The cells are responsible for producing antioxidants.  In other words, it’s good stress.

Indeed, the most successful fasting diets have been done with obese subjects.  For normal weight people, the jury is still out.  Loren Greene, a New York endocrinologist, discourages fasting if you are already very thin, have struggled with an eating disorder, or are diabetic or (especially) pregnant.  It’s also important to stay well hydrated.Moreover experts caution against the days-long juice fasts popular in Hollywood and the fashion world. People say, “I went on a long fast, and I lost all this weight,” but that’s because you’re burning muscle and you lost water weight.  It’s almost an illusion of success.

Forget illusions.  We’ll take real cheesecake anytime, even if we have to wait a few hours to eat it.