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A basic definition of fasting is to voluntarily abstain from eating. Food is more readily available now than ever before in history – and in massive quantities. Vending machines, fast food drive-throughs, and food delivery services make it difficult to ignore cravings when they strike. Unfortunately, eating all day and in excess has undeniable, negative health consequences.
As obesity, cardiovascular disease, and conditions like type 2 diabetes have become more common, people are turning to intermittent fasting (IF), also called time-restricted eating. Returning to the ancient practice of fasting may be exactly what we need to restore balance to our out-of-control eating habits and achieve greater wellness.
Fasting benefits more than just physical health. For thousands of years and throughout the world, humans have fasted for spiritual reasons. Over time, people also saw evidence of fasting's physical and mental health benefits, such as increased energy and mental clarity.
Hippocrates, Aristotle, and Plato are among the famous Greek philosophers who recognized the value of fasting. Plutarch is noted for saying, "Instead of using medicine, rather, fast a day."
As a spiritual pursuit, fasting is a time for reflection, remembrance, and spiritual focus. Religions with a tradition of fasting include Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, and Hinduism.
Most religious traditions encourage regular fasting as a personal discipline. In addition, there are periods specifically designated for corporate (group) fasting. For example:
Modern scientific research is proving what people have observed for millennia: fasting has numerous health benefits. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, ways fasting can help your body include:
Eating continually throughout the day can overload your body with calories (energy) and glucose (simple sugar). If you don't burn as much fuel as you're taking in, your body will store this extra energy as fat.
Unfortunately, if you follow the "standard American diet" (SAD) you'll inevitably consume excess calories, sugar, and processed foods. Over time, this can lead to inflammation, aging, and health conditions like cardiovascular disease.
Fasting helps your body process blood glucose, which lowers blood sugar levels. When glucose is depleted, your body will switch to fat-burning metabolic pathways. We'll talk more about that below.
Lowering blood glucose and burning fat result in weight loss and some of the other positive effects associated with fasting. Another beneficial process related to fasting is autophagy.
Autophagy literally means self-eating; it supports homeostasis and the normal functioning of cells. Why would your body destroy its own cells? Well, cells and their components can become damaged over time. Debris and plaques can accumulate that must be broken down and disposed of.
Autophagosomes isolate damaged cytoplasmic components and deliver them to lysosomes, cell components containing digestive enzymes. Autophagy helps your body break down and dispose of misfolded proteins, dysfunctional cell organelles, and damaged cells.
Autophagy is the body's natural waste removal and recycling program. It regulates critical biological functions such as
Autophagy is critical for healthy aging because the accumulation of misfolded proteins is a common hallmark of adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Studies suggest that short-term food restriction (aka intermittent fasting) could help regulate autophagy resulting in better cognitive health and improved lifespan.
Dysfunctional mitochondria, cellular oxidative stress, and accumulation of proteins in neurons are all observed in patients with Parkinson's disease. It seems that the dysregulation of the autophagy pathway may lead to neurological diseases like Parkinson's. So, researchers continue to study how upregulating autophagy may be helpful in treating neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.
Read more about the benefits of autophagy and how collagen can assist your fasting efforts HERE.
Calorie restriction and intermittent fasting can directly trigger autophagy. Intermittent fasting is not necessarily about restricting whatyou eat, but when you eat. That being said, when you do eat, it's vital to consume wholesome foods full of vital nutrients and limit unhealthy foods.
IF divides the day into an eating window vs a fasting window. Popular forms of intermittent fasting include:
If you've never fasted before, a basic starting point is ensuring you have 12 hours of fasting every night: stop eating at 7 pm and don't eat until 7 am. So stay away from after-dinner snacking and make "breakfast" a true break from fasting.
Then, you can gradually increase fasting windows to 14:10, 16:8, and even 18:6 or beyond. You may reap greater benefits from an extended period of fasting. But, build up gradually and under medical supervision. Of course, you should speak with your physician before attempting any form of fasting, especially if you have any health conditions, concerns, or take medication.
Under normal healthy circumstances, autophagy is ongoing within your cells. However, studies suggest you can increase autophagy with calorie restriction, ketosis, exercise, and intermittent fasting.
Here's the timeline for autophagy under caloric restriction.
About 12 hours into fasting, when the body has used up available glucose, it will move into ketosis. In ketosis, your body breaks down fatty acids and forms ketones for fuel.
Ketosis can also be triggered by following a ketogenic diet. This limits carbohydrates to 50 grams per day with an overall diet composition of 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbohydrate.
After 24 hours, autophagy should kick into a higher gear and studies suggest autophagy peaks around 48 hours. If 48 hours is simply unrealistic for your lifestyle, you can still benefit from shorter fasts.
Since autophagy is dynamic and continuous, it's best measured with an autophagic flux assay, measuring autophagosomes and their fusion with the lysosome. However, the average person won't have access to this type of testing and should rely on best practices and monitoring how they feel throughout the fast.
The good news is that supplements like collagen can support your fast without disrupting autophagy. Many believe that you can still retain the benefits of fasting with a limited calorie intake of 50-500 kcalper day.
Within this range, a pure collagen supplement stirred into black coffee, tea, or water certainly won't put you over the calorie limit. In addition, your body can benefit from a supply of essential amino acids which help promote healthy joints, digestion, and lean muscle mass. Another bonus is helping you feel satiated.
Two pure, nutrient-packed collagen choices are:
Visit the Amandean shop to explore the options for healthful collagen supplement support for intermittent fasting.
Over time, people have seen evidence of fasting's physical and mental health benefits, such as increased energy and mental clarity.
If you don't burn as much fuel as you're taking in, your body will store this extra energy as fat.
Fasting helps your body process blood glucose, which lowers blood sugar levels
Autophagy literally means self-eating; it supports homeostasis and the normal functioning of cells.
Calorie restriction and intermittent fasting can directly trigger autophagy.
Studies suggest you can increase autophagy with calorie restriction, ketosis, exercise, and intermittent fasting.
Supplements like collagen can support your fast without disrupting autophagy.
