What Have You Got to Lose Besides Weight? Weight loss is the most well-known benefit of Intermittent fasting, but there are many more lesser-known benefits of intermittent fasting.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is when you take a break from eating for extended periods of time. It’s basically time-restricted eating.
There are many different ways that intermittent fasting benefits women over 40 such as the 16/8 Method, Alternate Day Fasting, and the 5:2 Diet.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting For Women Over 40
1. Weight Loss
The most commonly sought benefit of Intermittent fasting is weight loss. Chances are good that this is the main reason you’re reading this. But keep reading because there are many more that you may not be familiar with.
As we get older our metabolisms slow down, throw in peri-menopause or menopause and more fat starts accumulating in areas where we don’t want it and intermittent fasting can help.
One study found that obese adults who followed an alternate day intermittent fasting schedule lost up to 13 pounds over 8 weeks. Be careful if you try this method because it also has its negative points such as eating too much on the days that you’re not fasting.
Not only does intermittent fasting promote fat loss, but you also retain muscle while fasting, unlike normal calorie-restrictive diets.
2. Cleans Defective Cells
Intermittent fasting promotes autophagy which is the process where the body gets rid of cells that have a greater risk of becoming infected or cancerous. Defective cells that are not operating at peak performance can lead to accelerated aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and type 2 diabetes.
This is like spring cleaning for your body, getting rid of the “broken” cells. It clears the way for healthy cells and increases your health and vibrancy.
3. Prevents Breast Cancer Recurrence
According to a 2016 study, a longer period of fasting is a good strategy to reduce breast cancer recurrence. This study of breast cancer survivors who didn’t eat for at least 12 and half hours overnight had a 36 percent reduction in the risk of their breast cancer returning.
4. Lowers Your Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes often develops in people over the age of 45. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that more than 30 million Americans have diabetes (about 1 in 10), and 90%-95% of them have type 2 diabetes.
Those are pretty scary statistics.
You can develop Type 2 diabetes when your cells don’t respond normally to insulin. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas which allows cells to absorb and use glucose (sugar) as energy.
If you become insulin resistant your cells aren’t receptive to insulin and can’t absorb glucose. Sugar then builds up in your bloodstream which can be toxic. In order for your body to get the glucose out of the bloodstream, it stores it as fat.
Studies have shown intermittent fasting to be associated with reductions in glucose, insulin, and improvements to insulin sensitivity.
5. Boosts Brain Health
Research in animals suggests that intermittent fasting can suppress inflammation in the brain. Inflammation is associated with neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke.
6. Improves Heart Health
According to a report published in the US National Library of Medicine, intermittent fasting can lead to a reduction in blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, and triglycerides in humans and animals.
7. Allows Your Body To Heal
When you’re constantly eating, you’re not giving your body and your cells the time they need to rest. They need this time to repair themselves or to get rid of those cells that the body feels may become infected or cancerous.
Just think about your pour digestive system constantly working. Give it a rest!
What Have You Got to Lose Besides Weight?
There are many benefits of intermittent fasting for women over 40 including weight loss, cleaning defective cells, preventing breast cancer recurrence, lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes, boosting brain health, improving heart health, and also allowing your body to heal.
If you haven’t tried incorporating intermittent fasting into your diet, you should try it out. But just like any type of diet that you start you should check with your doctor first.
And if you’re new to intermittent fasting try adding a few hours of not eating prior to going to sleep or after you get up in the morning.
RESOURCES:
Medical Disclaimer: Before starting any diet, you should speak to your doctor or another professional healthcare provider. This post is for informational purposes only and is not to be considered medical advice.
I had no idea there were so many benefits to fasting! Great article with lots of good information.
Thanks for reading and commenting Michele.
I love this but what is 16/8 and 5:2 mean. I am assuming 16/8 is only eat 8 hours a day but what is 5:2?
Yup, the 16 hours in the 16/8 represents the time you’re fasting and the 8 is when you’re eating. The 5 in the 5:2 diet are the days that you eat a regular diet and the 2 are the days when you eat only 25% of what you normally eat. I fixed the links so it should be easier to see the explanations from a previous post.