Could Fasting Work For You?

- Aoife Stuart - Madge

With Ramadan almost upon us, Muslims across the world prepare to abstain from eating and drinking from dawn until sunset in recognition of those less fortunate and as a symbol of atonement and gratitude. While those outside the Muslim community often join in the nightly festivities of the holy month by sharing Iftars and Suhours with their Muslim friends, it seems we could all benefit from joining our Muslim friends in fasting, too. Not just for spiritual reasons but for the benefit of our health as well.

Pippa Campbell, Nutritionist and Weight Loss Coach (pippacampbellhealth. com) explains: “Twenty-four-hour fasting actually sends your body into a sort of ‘shock’ mode to burn more fat, as it is searching for other sources of energy… It can really kickstart your metabolism.”

Intermittent fasting has been a buzzword in the diet world in recent years thanks to the popularity of diet books such as The 5:2 Diet and The 8-Hour Diet. Michael Mosley, the creator of the 5:2 diet claims that as well as helping people lose weight, intermittent fasting (or IF to converts) can help reduce the risk of diabetes, dementia and cancer. “IF has been most extensively studied in volunteers who are obese or overweight. In a recent study of 115 overweight women, those who restricted their calories two days a week lost more fat and had a greater improvement in biomarkers that relate to breast cancer risk than women doing conventional daily dieting,” says Mosley on his website (thefastdiet.co.uk). The benefits for those who are not overweight are less clear (because fewer studies have been done), however Mosley points out: “In one experiment, a number of fit young men were asked to practice IF without losing weight for a few weeks. During that time they saw improved insulin sensitivity, a marker for reduced diabetes risk. Studies of IF in animals have shown that it reduces risk of dementia.”