According to a new study, fasting for 14 weeks and eating within a 10-hour window may help lower the chance for diabetes.
Also known as intermittent fasting, fasting on several eating schedules has become quite the trend among numerous celebrities, including Jack Dorsey and Kourtney Kardashian, who swear by fasting to help them feel and look better.
Even though some fasts can be quite strict, a new study done at the University of California, San Diego, eating within a 10-hour window isn’t just doable, but also offers advantages like improved cholesterol levels and pound shedding.
How Can Fasting Helps Us Improve Our Health?
In a period of 12 weeks, the 19 participants in the trial, most of who were obese people, experienced BMI, weight, and body fat reductions and a lot of them had better blood pressure and lower blood sugar levels.
Prior to the study, the participants were on a path towards diabetes; however, the research team offered an opportunity to help them prevent it.
Unfortunately, according to the American Heart Association, 47 million individuals in the US have metabolic syndrome, a group of symptoms that are usually precede diabetes.
And, 1/3 of the adults have at least 3 of the 5 major risk factors of the metabolic syndrome, i.e. high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low levels of good cholesterol, and belly fat.
When a person has been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, there’s still time for intervention; however, once they become diabetic or take several meds, including insulin, the reversing is much harder.
Making the necessary diet and exercise changes is pivotal, but it’s not easy.
The participants didn’t consume anything for 14 days per day. In the remaining window of 10 hours, they could eat whatever, however, and whenever they wanted.
At the end of the study, the participants were satisfied with their progress so 2/3 of them kept up with the intermittent fast for up to 12 months after the end of the project.
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