Research: Intermittent fasting improves health and reduces fatigue

According to a recent research According to German scientists, 16:8 intermittent fasting can lead to a number of positive health outcomes and reduce overall fatigue.

Study participants fasted for 16 hours five days a week for three months. Since then, several markers of good health have improved, while a marker known as tumor progression has declined.

Intermittent fasting has recently become one of the most popular diets in Western cultures. This was facilitated by a number of studies that talked about accelerating weight loss.

Just how much of a benefit to losing extra pounds compared to a normal calorie deficit is not exactly known, but Scientists at the University of Mainz have studied the potential health benefits that intermittent fasting can have.

Over the entire period of their study, 30 participants adhered to the 16:8 regimen and completed a questionnaire where they assessed their fatigue and general condition. They also regularly took blood for biomarker analysis. Each participant had to stick to their normal lifestyle.

According to the survey data:

• The average study participant experienced an almost 20% improvement in well-being across all measures, including physical and mental health. In general, this result took up to four weeks, but some have noticed tangible improvements in as little as two weeks.
• After three months of the diet, there was a relative reduction in mental fatigue of about 40%, although there was no significant difference after two weeks.
• There was also a significant decrease in IGF-1, an insulin-like hormone that plays a role in the development of tumors.

The results showed that intermittent fasting is safe and may improve health, noted the authors of the work. However, they added that the sample size in the study was too small to draw definitive conclusions about the effectiveness of the diet.

And yet, the study showed measurable differences in the blood of the participants, so there is still a positive effect - at least for some people.