Right up there with the very well-marketed Paleo diet, intermittent fasting (IF) has achieved popular attention in the past year for its potential role in achieving rapid weight loss. But now there is mounting evidence that this approach to eating may have specific benefits for those with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Intermittent fasting can be implemented in various ways. Common approaches are
- Alternating days spent eating normally with days when calorie consumption is restricted;
- Taking two days each week and making them ‘fasting days;'
- My favorite, proposed by Tieraona Low Dog MD: ‘If there isn't healthy food available, I just don't eat.'
A mounting body of evidence in animal models and humans points to specific effectiveness of intermittent fasting for weight loss and treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, most recently in a review article in the British Journal of Diabetes and Vascular Disease. Â
Link to original article here.
Compared to more invasive conventional medical methods of treating overweight and its complications, intermittent fasting looks downright reasonable. But we are still working on the best ways to help people implement this approach, most recently via our medically-supervised quant coach program here at My Doctor Medical Group.
What we have found, is that everyone is an individual. Some take to specific approaches like IF very easily, and others need to troubleshoot other health issues before IF is easily implemented, and it's hard to generalize since each case ends up being so unique.