Just the other day I came across a very interesting study that was published in Acta Physiologica Scandinavia - The journal of the Scandinavian physiological society. In this study the effects of a 3-day fast on human metabolism was examined. The authors found the typical benefits that are associated with fasting:
- No decrease in energy expenditure - in other words no metabolic rate slow down
- A decrease in RQ - indicating an increase in fat burning
- Increased blood flow -
- Decreased blood insulin levels - Considered to be one of the major health benefits of fasting
- Increased glucagon levels - more reliance on body fat as a fuel source
- Increased Growth Hormone levels -Google this for all the health benefits
- Increased noradrenaline - More fat burning hormones
- No increase in cortisol -This is linked to increases in fat and losses in muscle mass
It is also very important to note that the body burns the same amount of calories during a fasting day vs. a non-fasting day (about 2000 Kcals), however during fasting a lot more of these calories are coming from fat. And, since the subjects were not eating any fat while fasting, this fat must have been body fat. Another interesting finding was that the majority of this fat was stomach fat. While fasting for 3 days straight may be a bit too close to Ghandi for me, this study does add evidence to the idea that fasting can be an effective method of reducing calorie intake and increasing fat burning without negatively effect metabolic rate, or muscle mass.
I prefer and have success with fasts as little as 16 hours. My last meal is 6 pm and my next meal is at 10 am the following morning.
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