How Intermittent Fasting ACTUALLY Works...
Brad Stanfield
Feb 25, 2024
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Avoid intermittent fasting to meet protein targets and preserve muscle mass
Intermittent fasting can be a suboptimal dietary approach because it makes reaching daily protein targets, like 1.6g per kg of body weight, incredibly difficult.
Prioritize total daily protein intake over meal frequency for muscle growth
A 2024 landmark study found that eating a single large amount of protein is likely just as effective for muscle mass as splitting that intake throughout the day.
Avoid late-night meals to improve blood sugar control
Having a large meal at the end of the day worsens blood sugar levels and impairs insulin responses, so it's better to eat more in the morning.
Recognize intermittent fasting as a form of calorie restriction
According to a 2021 Cochrane review, intermittent fasting is not more effective for weight loss or reducing blood sugar than other calorie restriction diets.
Understand fasting differences: human vs. mouse metabolism
A 16-hour fast for a mouse is metabolically equivalent to a human fasting for four to five days, which is why autophagy isn't significantly activated in typical human intermittent fasting.
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