![]() ![]() If not done properly, IF can cause an irregular cycle and throw off their hormones. This is due to the fact that women have more kisspeptin, which creates greater sensitivity to fasting. When it comes to intermittent fasting, women are usually more sensitive than men. If your HPG axis isn’t working well it can affect your overall health and lead to problems with fertility. Your brain releases hormones to your ovaries to signal them to release estrogen and progesterone. Your brain and ovaries communicate through the brain-ovary axis or hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. This is the perfect example of the reality of the gut-brain axis connection. Intermittent fasting has been shown to positively affect the hunger hormone ghrelin, which can directly improve (4) brain dopamine levels. Leptin resistance, another hormonal resistance pattern which leads to weight gain and weight-loss resistance, has also been shown to improve with IF.Īnd if you think fasting would make you more hungry, think again. If you have a blood sugar problem and want to try fasting it’s key to work with your doctor who can monitor you and slowly increase your length of fasting as your glucose stabilizes. When patients come in with blood sugar problems I like to recommend IF due to its proven ability to increase (13) metabolism and lower (14) insulin resistance. Intermittent fasting takes center stage in its role in improving hunger, metabolism, and blood sugar affecting hormones. Fat storing and hunger hormones: (leptin, insulin, + ghrelin) Remember, this isn’t an excuse to binge on unhealthy food during your windows of eating! Intermittent Fasting and Hormones:ġ. The meals you do eat will mainly focus on healthy fats, clean protein, and whole-food carbohydrates like sweet potatoes. Fasting means you’ll be eating less food, thus reducing the need for intensive meal prepping. The idea of intermittent fasting can be overwhelming, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is, especially compared to other types of eating plans. Intermittent fasting lowers gut inflammation to help improve (12) inflammatory gut disorders such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and IBS. Even neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s seem to respond positively to IF, and several studies have shown (4) that IF may actually protect neurons from genetic and epigenetic stress factors, meaning it can essentially slow down brain aging.Ī study looking at people with asthma showed that intermittent fasting was able to reduce symptoms (11) as well as oxidative stress. Mental health problems like anxiety, depression, and brain fog are on the rise, and studies are showing that IF improves (10) brain function and mood through an effect not unlike antidepressant medication. Intermittent fasting improves something called neuroplasticity – the ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections in response to new information – while researchers are studying (9) the role it may play in managing chronic pain. Plus, regularly fasting can also help people free themselves from emotional eating. (4) By transitioning your metabolism from a sugar-burner to a fat-burner your body will no longer crave that unhealthy junk food. You don’t have to worry about starving while fasting! Your hunger hormone ghrelin, is decreased during intermittent fasting while your brain’s dopamine levels are increased. ![]() Intermittent fasting can drive down inflammation that blunts your brain’s leptin receptor sites. Your body ends up continuing to store fat instead of using it for energy. For example, leptin resistance happens when your brain stops recognizing leptin’s signals to use your body’s fat stores for energy. Underlying hormone imbalances can often contribute to people’s inability to lose weight. Three-day cycles of a fasting-mimicking diet under 1,000 calories per day can help improve symptoms (7) of autoimmune conditions such as lupus (8) and multiple sclerosis. IF is proven to increase metabolism (5) and lower insulin resistance. Intermittent fasting decreases insulin resistance, a hormonal problem that affects a staggering 50 percent of American adults! IF also increases production (4) of beneficial enzymes that increase your body’s ability to adapt to stress and fight chronic diseases like diabetes. Intermittent fasting has the ability to lower blood pressure and triglycerides – two markers of heart disease risk (2) – while also raising (3) beneficial HDL cholesterol. Research has shown a link (1) between a reduced risk of breast cancer and intermittent fasting. Therefore, intermittent fasting has been shown to have some powerful benefits: It’s not that eating is bad, instead, fasting gives your digestive system a chance to rest thus soothing inflammation. ![]() Now, I know you are probably wondering why eating is a problem if what you are eating is made up of healthy, whole-food sources. ![]()
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