Following a strict diet routine, you may have come across intermittent fasting once or twice in your life. A number of studies have proven that intermittent fasting can have valuable health benefits for improving your lifestyle. But like all other dieting schedules, intermittent fasting also comes with some rules and boundaries. Going beyond these boundaries during intermittent fasting may pose serious risks to your health.
If you are already following a diet that suits you, there is no need to complicate your life with intermittent fasting. But if you plan on getting involved, here are some health benefits and risks of intermittent fasting that you need to know about to maintain a balance.
Top health benefits of intermittent fasting
Claiming that intermittent fasting is good for your health is not a false statement as it improves the quality of your life in the following ways.
Promote weight loss
Research has shown that effectively controlling hunger over a period of time helps your body gain more control over your metabolism and blood circulation. It reduces the build-up of extra fat and supports weight loss. This way, you can maintain a perfectly fit body shape with the help of intermittent fasting.
Manage insulin resistance
During intermittent fasting, you keep your body in check and prevent yourself from eating snacks every hour. You train your body to survive with minimal intake of sugars and carbohydrates. This way, your body slowly learns to manage insulin resistance and maintain a better metabolic rate during the long daytime.
Reduce cholesterol levels
Controlling your eating habits during intermittent fasting and maintaining a healthy diet with a variety of foods helps your body to digest better. This reduces elevated cholesterol levels and prevents the build-up of extra fat in the body.
Good for heart health
As you take a break from eating, your body begins to use all the stored energy to deal with the fasting condition. This increases metabolism and blood circulation, removing stress from your heart. Your heart starts to work fast and gives you a long life.
Top risk factors of intermittent fasting
Not so far from the benefits, the risk factors for intermittent fasting lie just above the thin silver lining. If you aren’t doing it right, here are some side effects you may suffer from during intermittent fasting.
May lead to uncontrollable cravings
When you don't eat for 8 to 24 hours straight during intermittent fasting, your body begins to experience uncontrollable cravings. At first, you feel a rush of hunger that leads you to overeat the food you have at home. Sometimes you may also crave something specific and you end up breaking your fast.
Make you sluggish and moody
While intermittent fasting is good for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it also makes you tired, sluggish, and a little moody. Given your fasting routine, there will be times in the day when you are at your lowest, so you will begin to feel sluggish and tired of all your routine work. Also, the ultimate hunger will make you moody.
May cause dizziness and headaches
If you are new to intermittent fasting, you are sure to experience beginner symptoms such as light-headedness, headaches, muscle aches, dizziness, and nausea. These symptoms disappear quickly as you adjust to the habit of fasting after suffering for a few days.
Conclusion
Intermittent fasting is not something you decide to do overnight. It takes time to get used to intermittent fasting conditions and keep your body under control. Also, you should consult your physician before you start something like intermittent fasting.