In recent years, intermittent fasting with a nutritional method has become fashionable to lose weight or keep fit. Although, some people are unaware of the advantages and disadvantages of following a diet of this style or how they can influence the blood glucose levels, among other things.
Fasting is a food strategy based on limiting food intake at a certain time to achieve the fasting window. Normally, dinner at 21: 00 hours and have breakfast at 9: 00 hours a fast of 12 hours is achieved.
Although there are different types of fasts, including 16 or 18 hours. In any case, this type of diet should always be carried out under the supervision of a nutrition specialist, since it is not suitable for all types of people.
Intermittent fasting and glucose control
One of the main benefits of intermittent fasting is that it helps improve the body's sensitivity to insulin, thus offering favorable effects to regulate the levels of glucose in the body.
Intermittent fastingIn this sense, it is also beneficial for diabetes, a disease in which patients must exercise extreme control over blood glucose levels, since high levels can be highly detrimental to health.
Other benefits of intermittent fasting are that it helps to lose weight and reduce body fat due to caloric restriction, greater satiety, improve the functioning of the immune system, delay the effects of aging and reduce stress.
However, to carry out intermittent fasting it is advisable to have the approval of a nutrition specialist, since this type of strict diet can also lead to a series of health problems.
Disadvantages of intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is a fashionable nutritional method among celebrities and people who follow a 'fitness' lifestyle. However, going on this type of diet after a weekend binge or the Christmas holidays is not recommended.
Thus, it has recently been discovered that performing this type of fast increases the body's sensitivity to insulin, being beneficial for a balance in the levels of glucose in the blood.
Although nutrition specialists, such as Dr. Lourdes de la Bastida, from the Qurónsalud Hospital in Córdoba, highlight the possible disadvantages that intermittent fasting can have if it is carried out in people who are not really prepared or who do not perform a correct approach.
In this sense, it can cause anxiety, irritability, sleep problems, lack of concentration, headaches or nutritional deficit.
In the same way, a poorly planned intermittent fasting can also cause a feeling of heaviness, heavy digestion, bad breath or difficulty in maximizing sports performance.
Finally, this nutrition specialist also explains that intermittent fasting performed incorrectly can cause hypoglycemia (low glucose level in the blood). Thus, hypoglycemia can also have harmful consequences for health, as can high blood glucose levels.
