What is intermittent fasting?
Quick Answer
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating and fasting, such as eating only within an eight-hour window each day.
The Full Story
Rather than dictating what you eat, intermittent fasting focuses on when you eat. Popular methods include 16:8, where you fast for 16 hours and eat within eight, and the 5:2 plan, eating normally five days a week and very little on two, which British doctor Michael Mosley popularised in 2012 and 2013. After roughly 12 hours without food, the body starts running low on stored glucose and shifts towards burning fat, a change researchers call metabolic switching. Many studies show weight loss, but a 2022 trial found time-restricted eating was no better than simply cutting calories by the same amount. Intermittent fasting was the top trending diet on Google in 2019, and people with diabetes or a history of eating disorders are advised to seek medical advice first.
Key Facts
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"The Science of Skipping Meals — Does Intermittent Fasting Work?"