Ultimate Guide to Intermittent Fasting

Science has discovered health benefits linked to whole-day, alternate-day, and time-restricted fasting, says Carolyn Williams, Ph.D., the registered dietitian that helped develop the book The Men’s Health Guide to Intermittent Fasting.

 

Scientists speculate that the benefits of short-term fasts may come from the structured break they provide to around-the-clock eating.

Check out the potential upsides of intermittent fasting:

1. Intermittent fasting can target belly fat

According to a report in Cell Metabolism, overweight people who ate during any 10-hour timeframe (and not the other 14) saw a reduction in waist circumference and visceral abdominal fat after 12 weeks.

3. Intermittent fasting may lower high blood pressure

In another study, participants who practiced 16:8 intermittent fasting without calorie counting significantly reduced their systolic blood pressure compared to a control group after 12 weeks.

5. Intermittent fasting may help you live longer

Studies suggest that intermittent fasting may be much easier to maintain than extreme calorie cutting, and may boost lifespan, too. In one study comparing rats who were given unrestricted access to food to rats who were fed every other day, the rats who fasted lived 83 percent longer than those who gorged themselves.

The Men’s Health Guide to Intermittent Fasting is packed with essential information for anyone (not just guys!) who wants to start fasting and start feeling great.