Fasting might just be the fountain of youth everyone has been looking for. When it comes to weight loss tips, one that comes up frequently is intermittent fasting.
As you get older you are more susceptible to different diseases and being overweight is an essential cause of many maladies. But even beyond weight loss, intermittent fasting is an essential part of anti-ageing.
Intermittent fasting refers to periods when you eat no food followed by periods when you can eat whatever you want.
There are different types of intermittent fasting regimes;
The 16/8 method
When you fast for 16 hours and eat within the remaining eight-hour period.
Alternate fasting
This is when you fast for a whole day and eat the way you want the next day.
The 5/2 method
You eat normally for five days a week and restrict your diet for the remaining two days.
Sometimes, there is no certain structure to fasting; you can just choose not to eat on certain days and times.
So how does fasting slow down the ageing process?
1. Helps with weight loss
Fasting boosts the body’s metabolism which makes it easier for your body to break down food and burn calories which in turn leads to weight loss and a much younger appearance.
2. Repairs DNA cells
As you age, your DNA degrades. Old age leads to loss of cells, loss of gene expression and DNA damage. However, fasting slows down the process of cell degeneration and repairs DNA cells.
3. Prevents the appearance of wrinkles
Oxidative stress and damage cause ageing. How does this work? Free radicals in the environment cause oxidative stress and increase the appearance of wrinkles. Antioxidants break down free radicals and fasting increases the level of antioxidants in the body’s cells.
4. Protects the heart
Fasting reduces cholesterol levels by increasing high-density lipoprotein which is good for the body and reducing the production of low-density lipoprotein. This protects the heart.
Constant fasting can also reduce hypertension by reshaping the gut microbiome that is actively involved in causing hypertension.
5. Prevents and controls diabetes
Fasting prevents diabetes by improving the control of glucose. It causes a drop in insulin levels and prevents diabetes.
Eating all the time would only work against your health, fasting would slow down the process of ageing and improve your health.
