Researchers have been studying intermittent fasting for decades.
Study findings are sometimes contradictory and inconclusive. However, the research on intermittent fasting, including 16:8 fasting, indicates that it may provide the following benefits:
Weight loss and fat loss
Eating during a set period can help people reduce the number of calories that they consume. It may also help boost metabolism.
A 2017 study suggests that intermittent fasting leads to greater weight loss and fat loss in men with obesity than regular calorie restriction.
Research from 2016 reports that men who followed a 16:8 approach for 8 weeks while resistance training showed a decrease in fat mass. The participants maintained their muscle mass throughout.
In contrast, a 2017 study found very little difference in weight loss between participants who practiced intermittent fasting — in the form of alternate-day fasting rather than 16:8 fasting — and those who reduced their overall calorie intake. The dropout rate was also high among those in the intermittent fasting group.
Disease prevention
Supporters of intermittent fasting suggest that it can prevent several conditions and diseases, including:
- type 2 diabetes
- heart conditions
- some cancers
- neurodegenerative diseases
However, the research in this area remains limited.
A 2014 review reports that intermittent fasting shows promise as an alternative to traditional calorie restriction for type 2 diabetes risk reduction and weight loss in people who have overweight or obesity.
The researchers caution, however, that more research is necessary before they can reach reliable conclusions.
A 2018 study indicates that in addition to weight loss, an 8-hour eating window may help reduce blood pressure in adults with obesity.
Other studies report that intermittent fasting reduces fasting glucose by 3–6% in those with prediabetes, although it has no effect on healthy individuals. It may also decrease fasting insulin by 11–57% after 3 to 24 weeks of intermittent fasting.
Time-restricted fasting, such as the 16:8 method, may also protect learning and memory and slow down diseases that affect the brain.
A 2017 annual review notes that animal research has indicated that this form of fasting reduces the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and cancer.
Extended life span
Animal studies suggest that intermittent fasting may help animals live longer. For example, one study found that short-term repeated fasting increased the life span of female mice.
The National Institute on Aging point out that, even after decades of research, scientists still cannot explain why fasting may lengthen life span. As a result, they cannot confirm the long-term safety of this practice.
Human studies in the area are limited, and the potential benefits of intermittent fasting for human longevity are not yet known.
Changes the function of hormones, cells, and genes
When you don’t eat for a while, several things happen in your body.
For example, your body changes hormone levels to make stored body fat more accessible and initiates important cellular repair processes.
Here are some of the changes that occur in your body during fasting:
- Insulin levels. Blood levels of INSULIN drop significantly, which facilitates fat burning.
- Human growth hormone (HGH) levels. The blood levels of HGH may increase dramatically. Higher levels of this hormone facilitate fat burning and muscle gain, and have numerous other benefits.
- Cellular repair. The body induces important cellular repair processes, such as removing waste material from cells .
- Gene expression. There are beneficial changes in several genes and molecules related to longevity and protection against disease
Can reduce insulin resistance, lowering your risk for type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes has become a very common diagnosis in recent decades.
Its main feature is high blood sugar levels in the context of insulin resistance.
Anything that reduces insulin resistance should help lower blood sugar levels and protect against type 2 diabetes.
Interestingly, intermittent fasting has been shown to have major benefits for insulin resistance and to lead to an impressive reduction in blood sugar levels.
In human studies on intermittent fasting, fasting blood sugar has been reduced by 3–6% over the course of 8–12 weeks in people with prediabetes. Fasting insulin has been reduced by 20–31%.
One study in mice with diabetes also showed that intermittent fasting improved survival rates and protected against diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is a complication that can lead to blindness.
What this implies is that intermittent fasting may be highly protective for people who are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
However, there may be some differences between the sexes. One 2005 study in women showed that blood sugar management actually worsened after a 22-day long intermittent fasting protocol.
Can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body
Oxidative stress is one of the steps toward aging and many chronic diseases.
It involves unstable molecules called free radicals. Free radicals react with other important molecules, such as protein and DNA, and damage them.
Several studies show that intermittent fasting may enhance the body’s resistance to oxidative stress.
Additionally, studies show that intermittent fasting can help fight inflammation, another key driver of many common diseases.
May be beneficial for heart health
It’s known that various health markers (so-called “risk factors”) are associated with either an increased or decreased risk of heart disease.
Intermittent fasting has been shown to improve numerous different risk factors, including:
- blood sugar levels
- blood pressure
- blood triglycerides
- total and LDL (bad) cholesterol
- inflammatory markers
However, much of this is based on animal studies
Induces various cellular repair processes
When we fast, the cells in the body initiate a cellular “waste removal” process called autophagy.
This involves the cells breaking down and metabolizing broken and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells over time.
Increased autophagy may provide protection against several diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
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