Intermittent fasting: Pros-cons and all you need to know

Intermittent fasting is one of the most common fitness and health phenomenons in the world today. People use it to lose weight and improve their health. According to a medical journal, intermittent fasting allows you to live longer by improving overall health. But apart from that, there are also cons that people need to know. Here are a few pros and cons everyone must know before starting the intermittent fasting lifestyle.

Pros and cons of intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting defines when to eat food. Fasting was a ritual throughout the course of human evolution. There were no stores, refrigerators, or food available throughout the year for ancient hunter-gatherers. We were not able to find anything to eat at times. As a result, human beings have adapted to be able to function for long periods of time without food.  Fasting is also often performed for religious or spiritual purposes in religions like Hinduism, Islam, Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism among others.

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Pros

Skipping breakfast reportedly promotes improvements in mental and physical health, maximum retention of muscles, and loss of body fat. Intermittent fasting can also reduce a range of biological factors associated with cancer, such as levels of insulin and inflammation. There are allegedly signs that cancer risks may be minimized by intermittent fasting. However, there is no conclusive evidence on the same yet.

Intermittent fasting can also have benefits in the prevention of diabetes, as it can support weight loss. Intermittent fasting may lead to a decrease in human and animal blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood that is associated with heart disease.

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Cons

Most of our social interactions take place around food and beverages. You have to either have the willpower to engage in abstinence or you have to work out ways to still have a social life without losing the pace of intermittent fasting. Fasting may be boring. There is a possibility that you will have lower energy levels than average during the days that you are fasting, and you may not want to go out and would rather relax to conserve the little energy you have.

Due to low energy, cravings, routines, and the discipline required to adhere to specific time frames accompanying the intermittent fasting times, this prolonged period of zero-calorie consumption can be hard to commit to.

Due to the amount of self-control needed, intermittent fasting is difficult to stick to long-term. It can be hard for both aspects of intermittent fasting. It is equally important not to eat when you are meant to be fasting, and not to binge when it is time to eat.

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