Dr. Xiao Jiejian shared on his blog that there are more details about intermittent fasting recently. There are related papers in the New England Journal of Medicine: NEJM, which detail the advantages and disadvantages of intermittent fasting and how to do it.
Dr. Xiao Jiejian explained that both glucose and fat are the energy of cells. After meals, the body burns glucose, and fat is stored in adipose tissue in the form of triglycerides. When you stop eating, triglycerides break down into fatty acids and glycerol, in which fatty acids run to the liver and are converted into ketone bodies in the liver, thus providing major energy for many tissues, especially the "fasting brain". Therefore, when eating, the blood ketone body level is low, and it will start to rise after fasting, reaching the highest level of 2 ~ 5 mM within 8 ~ 12 hours.
Ketones help people live longer?
Dr. Xiao Jiejian reminded that the ketone body level rises in a short time of 8 to 12, which can give ketone body enough time to play its role in the body, because ketone body is not only a fuel, but also a signal of longevity!
Ketone has two functions: fuel to help the body function during fasting; The second is a tool to send signals to cells and organs. Send signals to cells to guide the body to complete these five functions: stress resistance, autophagy, glucose and lipid metabolism, mitochondrial biogenesis and cell survival.
Finally, Dr. Xiao Jiejian sorted out a series of effects of intermittent fasting, that is, what can be achieved and what cannot be achieved.
Intermittent fasting can reduce weight and improve blood sugar, but it cannot reverse diabetes.
Pre-diabetes can improve insulin sensitivity and reverse pre-diabetes (blood sugar is between 100 ~ 126). However, for diabetes that has already occurred, it can only reduce weight and cannot improve its insulin sensitivity. So if someone claims that fasting or ketogenic diet can cure and reverse diabetes, don't believe it.
Can improve blood lipid
Intermittent fasting can improve blood lipid indexes, including triglycerides, high density lipoprotein and low density lipoprotein. In addition, intermittent fasting can reduce inflammatory markers associated with atherosclerosis. At the same time, IF can improve parasympathetic nerve activity. Not only that, intermittent fasting can reduce appetite. In a two-year study, it can reduce the calorie intake of 12%.
Improve cancer cells of specific cancers
Intermittent fasting can improve the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy and prolong the survival time of some cancers.
Can improve immune rheumatism.
Intermittent fasting can improve asthma, multiple sclerosis and arthritis, which are immune diseases. IF can improve the mechanism of immune diseases, mainly from ketone body signals, and can reduce the relationship between inflammatory markers in serum.
Intermittent fasting can improve the postoperative recovery and prognosis of acute nerve injury.
At present, animal studies show that intermittent fasting for two weeks can improve the recovery of acute brain injury or spinal cord injury. In human experiments, intermittent fasting can improve the recovery of patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery.
How to do intermittent fasting?
Having said that, how to eat fast food intermittently? The New England Journal offers two methods: diet restriction and the 5:2 rule.
The first month of food restriction: eat five days a week 10 hour.
The second month: choose to eat within 8 hours 5 days a week.
The third month: choose five days a week and eat within 6 hours.
Fourth month: Eat within 6 hours, seven days a week.
The first month of the 5:2 rule: choose 1 day every week and eat only 1000 calories.
Second month: Pick two days a week and only eat 1000 cards.
The third month: Pick two days a week and eat only 750 calories.
Fourth month: Choose two days a week and eat only 500 calories.
You should pay attention to intermittent fasting.
Many people want to change their eating habits. The first problem is unbearable hunger. The doctor advised the body to adapt first, and then began intermittent fasting. If you are too hungry, your liver sugar is too low, your blood sugar is too low, and your fat burning efficiency is not high enough. You will start burning muscles, and you must stop immediately.
In addition, as far as the doctor's experience is concerned, as long as you eat high-quality protein, a lot of vegetables and a proper amount of high-quality starch, you will lose weight quickly.
The full text is quoted with permission, the original text of Dr. Xiao's blog
Full text of English papers
Theme: ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting, bullet-proof coffee