Before I get into intermittent fasting; I just remembered that I forgot something that I should have pointed out in the “Turmeric & Honey…” article that was posted on October 29, 2019.
When you use turmeric always include:
* black pepper, and
* fat (e.g. coconut oil)
To increase the bioavailability of this miracle “spice”.
OK, back to intermittent fasting: Please note that I have written about intermittent fasting before. Specifically, on June 9, 2019, May 2, 2019, and April 24, 2015. It might be worth re-reading them.
- Patients who practice intermittent fasting are less likely to be diagnosed with heart failure.
- It takes about 12 hours of fasting for the effects to be activated.
In the study undertaken by the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute of Salt Lake City, Utah, researchers found that heart patients who regularly practiced intermittent fasting lived longer than patients who did not.
In addition, they found that patients who practiced intermittent fasting were less likely to be diagnosed with heart failure.
While the study does not show that fasting is the causal effect for better survival, these real-world outcomes in a large population do suggest that fasting may be having an effect and urge continued study of the behavior.
In the study, researchers asked 2,001 intermountain patients undergoing cardiac catheterization from 2013 to 2018 a series of lifestyle questions, including whether or not they practiced routine intermittent fasting.
Researchers then followed up with those patients 4.5 years later and found that routine fasters had a greater survival rate then those who did not.
Fasting affects a person’s level of hemoglobin, red blood cell count, human growth hormone, and lower sodium and bicarbonate levels, while also activating ketosis and autophagy – all factors that lead to better heart health and specifically reduce the risk of heart failure and coronary heart disease.
Researchers speculate that fasting routinely over a period of years and even decades conditions the body to activate beneficial mechanisms of fasting after a shorter length of time than usual.
Typically, it takes about 12 hours of fasting for the effects to be activated, but long-term routine fasting may cause that time to be shortened.
For example, I fast for 16 hours almost every day.
Fasting is not for everyone, however. Researchers caution that pregnant and lactating women should not fast. Neither should young children and frail older adults.
People diagnosed with chronic diseases – especially those who take medication for diabetes, blood pressure, or heart disease – should not fast unless under the close supervision of a physician.
That’s it for now my friends; see you all the next time.
