Have you ever heard of intermittent fasting? It’s become one of the biggest wellness trends in the last few years. For most people, it is an incredibly safe, effective and sustainable way to help harness weight loss, decrease brain fog, increase energy levels, reduce hunger and utilize your body’s anti-aging capabilities.
But, did you know that intermittent fasting can help heal your gut? It actually played a huge part in my personal gut health journey.
Researchers have found that beyond its benefits on your body and brain, intermittent fasting could favorably influence the balance of beneficial gut flora that protects against metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.
A quick review on why gut health is important…
The good news is, our diets can dramatically change our gut microbe communities. Well, that’s good news if we are doing it right, and very bad news if we aren’t eating the right foods. What we eat can remodel the microbial communities living in our guts – gotta feed them that good fiber! However, when we eat can also influence our gut microbiomes, and therefore, or risk for disease.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Improve Gut Health?
- Gives your body a break from constant digestion. Fasting gives your overworked gut a break from energy-intensive tasks like digesting and assimilating food. It has been shown to reduce postprandial endotoxemia, which has been found to increase the risk for obesity and insulin resistance. And potentially, it can improve the composition of your friendly gut flora.
Your body has an incredible ability to heal itself. However, if you are bombarding it constantly with food (especially inflammatory, toxic foods), it can never go into “repair mode”. Just like you need your sleep to reboot up for your next day, your gut needs rest too! - Repairs the Gut Lining. If you’re eating all throughout the day (even if it’s just a snack), this allows zero time for your gut to go in and repair its own intestinal cells. This can result in IBS, bloating and even SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). Intermittent fasting allows for the time needed to boost your own internal gut healing mechanisms.
Intermittent fasting has a profound effect on your gut barrier function. It reduces intestinal permeability, or leaky gut, the precursor to all autoimmune disorders. By “sealing the leaks” in the mucosal lining of your intestines, you can mitigate the symptoms of autoimmunity and other inflammatory conditions that are triggered by environmental factors such as undigested food particles, microbes, and toxins. - Effortless Weight Loss. Studies show that restoring gut balance can help you lose weight and become healthier. In one study, researchers put overweight people on a weeklong fasting program followed by a six-week intervention with a probiotic supplement. At the end of the study, they found increased abundance and diversity of gut microbiota with these participants, including a relatively newly discovered bacteria in the genus Akkermansia, which is associated with a healthy gut and normal weight.
Weight loss becomes effortless when we get the bodies intuitive healing capabilities on our side. Support your body, so it can support you! - Flushes Out Bad Bacteria That Can Lead to Bloating. There is something called the Migrating Motor Complex or MMC. When the MMC is turned on, it flushes out left behind food and bacteria in your small intestine. If the MMC is turned off (from those 6 small meals a day!), then that bacteria and food are left behind in your small intestine (where you aren’t supposed to have much bacteria). The bacteria then rapidly ferments the remaining food which leads to bloating, further bacterial growth (and potentially SIBO) and even pressure on your stomach which can cause acid reflux or GERD, and of course be incredibly uncomfortable.
Intermittent fasting turns on the MMC pathway and allows for the bacteria and food to be thoroughly flushed out of your gastrointestinal tract and therefore reduces bloating (and all of those other pesky SIBO symptoms) as a result. - Living in Sync. Fasting benefits our gut bacteria because of our circadian rhythm – our internal body clock. Our gut microbes also have a circadian rhythm. Many types of gut microbes oscillate in activity and abundance throughout the day and night. For example, the gut microbe Enterobacter aerogenes is sensitive to melatonin (the “sleep” hormone). Disruption of the human circadian clock, for example through jetlag, or eating late at night, can cause disruption in the microbiome.
- What You Need to Know Before Trying Intermittent Fasting. Although intermittent fasting boasts many potential benefits, it is not for everyone. If you are a woman or are dealing with hormonal imbalances, thyroid issues, or adrenal fatigue, intermittent fasting may not be the best option for you because it IS still a stressor on the body.
A note to my ladies: Fasting can throw your hormones out of balance and mess with your menstrual cycle and sleep patterns, resulting in amenorrhea and insomnia. That’s why women, particularly those with little body fat, need to be careful when trying it. Our bodies are simply more sensitive to signals of starvation than men – we have to bear children. This is especially true if you already have hormonal imbalances or are in perimenopause.
You also need to be cautious if you have a thyroid condition, adrenal fatigue, or experience a lot of intense, consistent stress in your day-to-day. Fasting can be a major strain on your adrenal glands, which are already out of balance if you have one of these conditions. The added stress from a fast can make thyroid disorders and chronic fatigue worse.
Start Slow and Work Your Way Up
I always recommend starting slow, whatever that means to you. Where are your eating habits right now? Do you normally only rest your digestive system for 10 hours at night while sleeping? If so, try bumping it up to 12 (eat an early dinner!). You can gradually increase the time from there.
Don’t just jump right into a 16 hour fast from the get go. Fasting will also feel more difficult if you live on an insulin rollercoaster aka eat a lot of sugar and carbohydrates currently. To add some ease (and efficacy) to your fasting, try decreasing your sugar and carbohydrate intake for a week prior to experimenting with intermittent fasting.
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