{"id":10072,"date":"2024-02-08T20:09:34","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T13:09:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=10072"},"modified":"2024-02-08T20:09:34","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T13:09:34","slug":"how-safe-is-alternate-day-intermittent-fasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=10072","title":{"rendered":"How Safe Is Alternate-Day Intermittent Fasting?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Eating every other day can raise your cholesterol.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29700718\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Are<\/a> there any downsides to fasting every other day? For example, might <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/24583414\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">go<\/a> all day without eating impair your ability to think clearly? Surprisingly, as I discuss in my video<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/is-alternate-day-intermittent-fasting-safe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Is Alternate-Day Intermittent Fasting Safe?<\/a><\/strong>, the results appear to be \u201cequivocal.\u201d Some studies show no measurable effects and the ones that do fail to agree on which cognitive domains are affected. Might the cycles of fasting and feasting cause eating disorder\u2013type behaviors, like bingeing? So far, no harmful psychological effects have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25943396\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">found<\/a>. In fact, there may be some benefit. However, the studies that have put it to the test specifically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26431904\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">excluded<\/a> those with a documented history of eating disorders, for whom the effects may differ.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>What about bone health? No change in bone mineral density was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29276795\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">noted<\/a> after six months of alternate-day fasting despite about 16 pounds of weight loss, which would typically result in a dip in bone mass. However, the researchers did not note any skeletal changes in the control group either, and they lost a similar amount of weight using continuous caloric restriction. They suggested this is because both groups tended to be \u201cmore physically active than the average obese American,\u201d getting about 1,000 to 2,000 more steps a day.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Proponents of intermittent fasting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29063418\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suggest<\/a> it can better protect lean body mass, but most of the intermittent trials have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21410865\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">employed<\/a> less accurate methods of body composition analysis, whereas the majority of continuous caloric restriction trials used \u201cvastly more accurate techniques.\u201d So, to date, it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29086496\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">is<\/a> not clear if there\u2019s a difference in lean mass preservation.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Improvements in blood pressure and triglycerides have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28137935\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">noted<\/a> on intermittent fasting regimens, though this is presumed to be due to the reduction in body fat since the effect appears to be \u201cdependent on the amount of weight lost.\u201d Alternate-day fasting can improve artery function, too, as you can see in the graph below and at 1:55 in my <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/is-alternate-day-intermittent-fasting-safe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>video<\/strong><\/a>, though it does <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S2212826313000778\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">depend<\/a> on what you\u2019re eating on the non-fasting day. For study participants randomized to an alternate-day diet high in saturated fat, their artery function <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/23712283\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">worsened<\/a> despite a ten-pound weight loss, whereas it improved, as expected, in the lower-fat group. The decline in artery function was presumed to be because of the pro-inflammatory nature of saturated fat.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101108\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1-55-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1-55-1.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1-55-1-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1-55-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1-55-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1-55-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1-55-1-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1-55-1-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1-55-1-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1-55-1-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><br \/>A concern has been <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/26135345\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">raised<\/a> about the effects of alternate-day fasting on cholesterol. After 24 hours without food, LDL cholesterol may temporarily <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/scholar_lookup?hl=en&amp;volume=63&amp;publication_year=2014&amp;pages=A591&amp;journal=Diabetes&amp;author=BD+Horne&amp;author=JB+Muhlestein&amp;author=AR+Butler&amp;author=H+Brown&amp;author=JL.+Anderson&amp;title=Effects+of+water-only+fasting+among+pre-diabetic+patients+%5Babstract%5D.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bump<\/a> up, but this is presumably because so much fat is being released into the system by the fast. As you can see in the graph below and at 2:33 in my<a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/is-alternate-day-intermittent-fasting-safe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong> video<\/strong><\/a>, an immediate negative effect on carbohydrate tolerance may <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/26819200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stem<\/a> from the same phenomenon\u2014the repeated elevations of free fat floating around in the bloodstream. After a few weeks, though, LDL levels start to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29086496\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">drop<\/a> as the weight comes off. However, results from the largest and longest trial of alternate-day fasting have <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28459931\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">given<\/a> me pause.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101115\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-33-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-33-1.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-33-1-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-33-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-33-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-33-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-33-1-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-33-1-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-33-1-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2-33-1-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><br \/>A hundred obese men and women were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28459931\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">randomized<\/a> into one of three groups: alternate-day modified fasting (25 percent of their baseline calories on fasting days and 125 percent calories on eating days), continuous, daily caloric restriction (75 percent of baseline), or a control group instructed to maintain their regular diet. So, for those going into the trial eating 2,000 calories a day, they would continue to eat 2,000 calories a day in the control group. The calorie-restriction group would get 1,500 calories every day, and the intermittent-restriction group would alternate between 500 calories a day and 2,500 calories the next.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>As you can see in the graph below and at 3:32 in my <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/is-alternate-day-intermittent-fasting-safe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a><\/strong>, with the same overall, average, prescribed calorie cutting in the two weight-loss groups, they both <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28459931\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lost<\/a> about the same amount of weight, but, surprisingly, the cholesterol effects were different. In the continuous calorie-restriction group, the LDL levels dropped as expected compared to the control group as the pounds came off.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101110\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-32.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-32.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-32-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-32-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-32-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-32-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-32-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-32-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-32-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-32-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>But, in the alternate-day modified fasting group, they didn\u2019t, as you can see below, and at 3:55 in my <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/is-alternate-day-intermittent-fasting-safe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a><\/strong>. At the end of the year, the LDL cholesterol in the intermittent fasting group <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28459931\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ended<\/a> up being 10 percent higher than in the constant calorie-restriction group\u2014despite the same loss of body fat. Given that LDL cholesterol <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28444290\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">is<\/a> a prime causal risk factor for heart disease, our number one killer\u2014or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/21029840\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">is<\/a> even the prime risk factor\u2014this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28459931\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">strikes<\/a> a significant blow against alternate-day fasting. If you want to try it anyway, I would advise you to have your cholesterol monitored to make sure it comes down with your weight.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101112\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-55-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-55-1.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-55-1-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-55-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-55-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-55-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-55-1-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-55-1-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-55-1-720x405.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/3-55-1-540x304.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><br \/>If you\u2019re diabetic, you must <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/29405359\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">talk<\/a> with your physician about medication adjustment for any changes in diet, including fasting of any duration. Even with proactive medication reduction, advice to immediately break the fast should sugars drop too low, and weekly medical supervision, people with type 2 diabetes who fasted for even just two days a week were twice as likely to suffer from hypoglycemic episodes compared to an unfasted control group. We still don\u2019t know the best way to tweak blood sugar medications to prevent blood sugar from dropping too low on fasting days.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Even fasting for just one day can significantly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25795462\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">slow<\/a> the clearance of some drugs (like the blood-thinning drug Coumadin) or increase the clearance of others (like caffeine). Fasting for 36 hours can cut your caffeine buzz by 20 percent. So, consultation with your medical professional before fasting is an especially good idea for anyone on any kind of medication.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you missed it, check out <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/Alternate-Day-Intermittent-Fasting-Put-to-the-Test\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alternate-Day Intermittent Fasting Put to the Test<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>So, with ambiguous cognitive, lean mass, and bone effects, plus these cholesterol findings, I wouldn\u2019t suggest alternate-day fasting for weight loss, but dropping pounds isn\u2019t the only thing this way of eating is purported to do. Check out <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/does-intermittent-fasting-increase-human-life-expectancy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Does Intermittent Fasting Increase Human Life Expectancy?<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>For other types of intermittent fasting, total fasting, and more on fasting, check out the related videos below.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"\/>  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n            !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n            {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n                n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n            if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n            n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n            t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n            s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n                'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('init', '1582627921973608');\n            fbq('track', 'PageView');\n        <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eating every other day can raise your cholesterol.\u00a0\u00a0Are there any downsides to fasting every other day? For example, might go all day without eating impair your ability to think clearly? Surprisingly, as I discuss in my video Is Alternate-Day Intermittent Fasting Safe?, the results appear to be \u201cequivocal.\u201d Some studies show no measurable effects and &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}