Effects of intermittent fasting: Health and ageing guide

Introduction

When we think about living a healthier life, most of us think about eliminating bad things, like smoking or eating unhealthy food. But instead of trying to cut out the bad in our lives, we can also focus on adding good things to them. Intermittent fasting is one way to add something good to your life to improve health and longevity. Let's get started with Intermittent Fasting Health Benefits and if Intermittent fasting + coffee is not breaking the fast.

Intermittent fasting is a set eating schedule to optimise metabolism and increase weight loss. If practised correctly, the IF can be a significant lifestyle change that leads to weight loss and weight management. The 16/8 method and the 5:2 method are the two most prevalent techniques for intermittent fasting.

How did Intermittent Fasting come into existence?

For centuries, fasting has been practised, but it's recently gained popularity with the rise of intermittent fasting. While intermittent fasting isn't exactly a new idea—it was first introduced by Hippocrates 2,500 years ago. Intermittent fasting is eating that encourages you to fast for short periods.

Intermittent fasting doesn't have to be complicated:

Most people have a late lunch while following feeding in a time-restricted cycle. This simple change has several benefits:

• The more you fast (up to 24 hours), the more benefits you'll experience. According to studies, your body begins creating more cells in the liver after just 24 hours of fasting.

There are plenty of theories about the best ways to live to stay healthy as you get older. Most of these theories involve some diet or exercise, and while they're all worth considering (and some might even be right), there's one you probably haven't heard of that stands out as being particularly effective.

Intermittent Fasting: Health Benefits

There are many health benefits of intermittent fasting, and it's good to know them. Some of the studies above were done on animals, while others were on adult humans. It's worth noting that the results might vary depending on a person's age and other factors.

In animal studies, intermittent fasting prevented obesity and even improved endurance. In human studies, overweight people who fasted intermittently lost weight while maintaining muscle mass. And in six brief studies with obese adult humans, intermittent fasting led to weight loss.

Although it's true that IF isn't for everyone and shouldn't be used as a weight-loss tool, one of the most significant benefits researchers have found is the positive effect it has on the brain. A mice study found that intermittent fasting improves working memory and verbal memory in adult humans.

Other studies have shown that intermittent fasting for health also protects against cognitive decline, a natural part of ageing. It improves memory and strengthens the connections between neurons in your brain. This means that you will have improved cognitive abilities with regular use, but you'll also learn new things more easily. 

Fasting also helped tissue health because, in animals, it reduced damage during surgery and improved results.

Intermittent fasting coffee

Coffee is the most widely consumed beverage on the planet. Approximately 400 million cups of coffee are consumed in the United States daily. Every man, woman, and child in America drinks three cups of coffee every day! After petroleum, coffee is the world's second most valuable commodity. Coffee is a popular beverage enjoyed by people worldwide for millennia.

A cup of black coffee can be consumed during IF without breaking the fast. The 'Intermittent fasting coffee' is a zero-calorie beverage. One is allowed to consume water, tea, or other calorie-free beverages or have a low amount of calories during your fasting window. So why does coffee cut its caffeine-filled cousins?

Black coffee is made up of water and roasted coffee beans. When the beans are roasted, the natural oils in the beans are released and mixed with the water. The result is a dark brown liquid that doesn't contain any fat (like whole milk) or sugar (like flavored syrup). Black coffee can be taken freely during intermittent fasting as it has no calories.

However, if you add something calorie-dense to your coffee, you're breaking the fast. Black coffee is made up of ground coffee beans that may contain caffeine. The caffeine content of a cup of black coffee depends on the amount of ground coffee used and its brewing time. A cup of filtered black coffee will contain approximately 60 milligrams (mg) of caffeine at its strongest and weakest points during brewing. The natural oils in the beans are liberated and combined with the water when they are roasted.

Can you drink coffee when intermittent fasting?

Yes, you can drink black coffee while fasting, in a nutshell. You can also drink decaf coffee if you'd like, or tea. It's crucial to remember that you'll gain weight if you consume more calories than your body requires energy throughout the day. So if you add something to your coffee that contains calories, you're breaking the fast. You can also drink a zero-calorie beverage like water during the fasting phase.

What exactly counts as breakfast while practising IF? There are plenty of ways to interpret it—some people say you should only eat during an eight-hour window in the morning; some say 10 hours; others might claim they don't care; they don't eat until then. It's acceptable to drink black coffee as part of your daily routine. If it isn't part of your routine yet, but intermittent fasting works for you, give it a try!

Conclusion

Those interested in learning more about intermittent fasting will benefit from consulting an expert and speaking with their physician. Be prepared to feel some effects of hunger and adjust to the change in eating schedule, but it is a sign that the body is getting used to this new lifestyle. The intermittent fasting health benefits is the potential weight loss and overall health benefits. Nonetheless, everyone should proceed with caution, as one's body needs fuel and nutrients throughout the day to function correctly. For more health and longevity hacks click here.