LOS ANGELES (KABC) — People who choose intermittent fasting have a variety of options to enjoy.
You could eat for eight hours a day and fast for 16, or eat just one meal a day for two days a week. The goal is to reduce inflammation and encourage your body to burn fat. Now, researchers are finding that overnight fasting may have benefits beyond weight loss.
I tried a 16 hour fast and an 8 hour diet.
Desiree Valdez, Math Teacher
Math teacher Desiree Valdez enjoys the joy she gets from helping others solve problems, but her own health numbers weren't looking good last year.
“My blood pressure was rising and I was gaining weight during that time,” she recalls.
No matter what she tried, nothing worked.
“I did a 16-hour fast and an eight-hour diet,” she said.
Dr. Maria Delgado, a hypertension specialist at the University of Miami Comprehensive Hypertension Center, recommended Valdes try overnight fasting to allow her body to naturally reset.
“Eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, and that includes eating before bed,” Delgado says. “That alone is a big problem because it activates the pancreas. It puts you at higher risk for diabetes and doesn't metabolize cholesterol well.”
Overnight fasting boosts metabolism, prevents late-night blood sugar spikes, and reduces inflammation. One study found that fasting for more than 14 hours actually alters genes associated with longevity, and 30 days of intermittent fasting reduced the risk of cancer, Alzheimer's, and neuropsychiatric disorders.
“Nighttime is when your cells are resting, but it's also when your cells are regenerating,” Delgado says, “so your body is able to cleanse itself while you're not eating.”
As part of the fast, Valdez drinks only water, green tea, and black coffee for the 16 hours he fasts, then eats whatever he wants for the remaining eight hours. Six months later, he's lost nearly 50 pounds and his blood pressure is normal.
“I used to be a healthy, if a little overweight, 50-year-old, but now I feel younger,” Valdes said.
Another benefit of time-restricted feeding is that it may help Alzheimer's disease patients: A study from the University of California, San Diego found that mice placed on a time-restricted diet had improved memory and sleep.
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