Can You Build Muscle While Doing Intermittent Fasting?

Does intermittent fasting affect lean muscle mass?

Intermittent fasting has been in the news lately. This is not surprising as it is a very popular diet. But does it affect lean muscle mass?

There are several types of intermittent fasting, but they all share one thing in common — which is that they last longer than the regular overnight fast.

Several pieces of nutrition-based research have shown that intermittent fasting can help a person to lose some fat. However, there’s a little bit of alarm in that it seems to have the potential to cause muscle loss.

In this article, we will discuss explicitly how intermittent fasting affects your lean muscle mass.

What is intermittent fasting?

As popular as the concept of intermittent fasting is, there’s still some confusion as to what it is.

This is not surprising because intermittent fasting is a really broad term that describes several kinds of eating. The commonest types of intermittent fasting include (1):

1. Time-restricted fasting: Intake of calories is restricted to a couple of hours daily, ranging from 4–12 hours. In most cases, there’s always an 8-hour eating period.
2. Alternate-day fasting: In this form of fasting, you will alternate between non-fasting and fasting days. What this implies is that you’ll fast on other days, but not fast on some. Some people may not have any meals on fast days, but in many cases, people do have small meals on fasting days.
3. 5:2 diet: It is similar to periodic and alternate-day fasting. On a 5:2 diet, you’ll eat well for 5 days a week, and for the remaining 2 days, you’ll have just 25% of your normal calories.
4. Periodic fasting: Another name for this is whole-day fasting. In a periodic fast, you will have occasional fasts separated by weeks or days of normal eating.

What happens during weight loss?

Can you fast and gain muscle at the same time?

You see, weight loss involves the shedding of unwanted body fat, but it is much more than that. When you lose weight, you equally lose lean body mass, visceral fat, bodily fluids, and of course, water weight.

Does intermittent fasting affect lean muscle mass?

Water weight refers to the fluids that can accumulate in your body tissues due to stress, poor nutrition, or hormonal changes. Instead of the fluid getting released, it is stored by your body between your skin and organs. This water weight may be referred to as bloating.

When you start intermittent fasting, your carb levels will reduce and your body will switch to glycogen for energy. Glycogen is activated by water. So, your body makes use of the water in its stores to create energy from glycogen.

Fat burning starts immediately after your water bloat is drained. This process also burns your muscle. Research suggests that you can burn fat and also gain lean muscle simultaneously during an intermittent fast.

What are the odds of losing muscle when fasting?

Most studies on intermittent fasting have been targeted primarily at weight loss (1).

Note that one can lose weight without exercise, but in this case, the weight loss will be due to the loss of lean mass and fat. Leans mass means everything (including muscle) except fat (2).

This applies to weight loss caused by intermittent fasting as well as other diets.

Many studies have shown that a person may lose small amounts of lean mass after fasting intermittently for several months (1).

But then, other studies could not find any loss of lean mass (3, 4).

Many studies, however, have concluded that intermittent fasting may help maintain lean mass as compared to other non-fasting diets. But there’s a need for further research on this subject (5).

Generally, you may not lose your muscle on an intermittent fast compared to other weight-loss diets.

Is an Aspirin a Day Good or Bad for Your Heart?

Photo Credit: https://stock.adobe.com/images/daily-aspirin/86009033 © Sherry Young

Have you ever suffered a stroke or a heart attack? No doubt you may have taken some low-dose aspirin as a remedy. But is daily aspirin use a healthy choice?

In this article, we will discuss the shocking side effects that a daily dose of aspirin has on your heart health.

Shaking up the Salt and High Blood Pressure Myth

Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

We’ve received several warnings about the dangers of salt to our health.

Many health organizations have claimed that high salt intake causes several health conditions, like heart disease and high blood pressure. But then, these claims do not have strong scientific backing despite decades of research (1).

Also, many nutritional studies have shown that not eating enough salt can cause harm to your health.

This article will differentiate the myths and the facts about salt (sodium) and high blood pressure.

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What is salt?

Another name for salt is sodium chloride. The salt that we use in cooking is made of 40% sodium and 60 % chloride.

Salt is a major dietary source of sodium. This explains why the words “sodium” and “salt” are used interchangeably.

There are also trace amounts of potassium, calcium, zinc, and iron in some varieties of salt. Table salt contains iodine as well (2, 3).

Salt contains essential minerals that serve as electrolytes. These electrolytes regulate fluid balance, muscle function, and nerve transmission.

Most foods contain salt, naturally. Salt is also added to foods as a flavoring agent.

It served as a preservative in the past. High amounts of salt can stop bacteria from growing in food.

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Does sodium affect blood pressure?

Well, several health authorities have warned against excessive intake of sodium. We’ve been advised to take no more than 2,300mg of sodium daily, or preferably less (4, 5, 6).

That’s the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt (or 6 grams).

But the bad news is that over 90% of adults in the United States consume more than the recommended amount of salt (7).

Excess consumption of salt is believed to raise blood pressure, thus increasing the risk of stroke and heart disease. However, this may not be so true.

Yes, consuming less salt can lower blood pressure, mostly in people who have salt-sensitive hypertension (8).

The average reduction of salt is however very subtle for healthy individuals. According to a 2013 study, restricting salt intake in people with normal blood pressure caused only a 2.42 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure and a 1.00mmHg reduction in diastolic blood pressure (9).

That’s the same thing as going down from 130/75 mmHg to 128/74 mmHg. Is this worth the stress of eating a tasteless diet? I don’t think so.

Also, several review studies suggest that no evidence reducing your salt intake will reduce your risk of stroke, heart attacks, or death (10, 11).

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A healthy diet is a key to lowering blood pressure

A healthy diet plays an important role in lowering blood pressure and keeping it at optimal levels. Studies have shown that adding greens and other healthy foods to your diet tones down your blood pressure (12, 13).

Fatty fish, berries, leafy greens, beans, seeds, lentils, carrots, and citrus fruits can help you achieve optimal blood pressure levels.

Leafy green vegetables contain lots of nitrates. Nitrates are known to help regulate blood pressure. Studies have shown that taking 1–2 servings of vegetables rich in nitrates daily can lower high blood pressure for at least 24 hours.

High blood pressure is about a potassium insufficiency — not necessarily a sodium excess.

Leafy greens that can help ease your blood pressure include:

• Collard greens
• Cabbage
• Spinach
• Mustard greens
• Kale
• Fennel
• Swiss chard

Photo credit: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/green-smoothie-recipe/

There’s no better way to eat your daily greens than stirring your spinach into stews and curries, sauteing your Swiss chard with some garlic (makes a great side dish), or baking some kale chips.

You can also blend them together and make a tasty green smoothie out of it like the one pictured above. What’s your favorite type of green smoothie?

'Bad' LDL Cholesterol May Not be so Bad

Photo Credit: Delphotostock on Adobe Images

It is no longer news that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been given a bad name. Yes, ever since it was tagged the “bad” cholesterol, LDL has been heavily demonized and accused of contributing to almost every health disorder.

Cardiologists and medical doctors have also campaigned vigorously against LDL, insisting that humans are better off with a low level of this cholesterol in their blood.

However, several studies have challenged this “cholesterol hypothesis” and found that there has been a great exaggeration of statin therapy benefits, and that ‘LDL’ cholesterol is not your enemy per se.

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What are the different types of cholesterol?

You see, there are two main types of cholesterol: the good and the bad.

The ‘good’ cholesterol is known as high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, while the ‘bad’ cholesterol is known as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL and LDL respectively).

It has been hypothesized that LDL cholesterol plays a major role in numerous health conditions, including cardiovascular conditions.

Photo Credit: Naeblys on Adobe Images

However, researchers believe that high LDL cholesterol doesn’t really cause much harm as insinuated.

Technically, bad cholesterol is thought to be atherogenic. This means that it promotes fatty plaque formation in the arteries. This explains why statins target LDL.

However, results from current research have found that targeting bad cholesterol may not be good medicine.

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What does the research say?

A 2016 study published in the British Medical Journal found that LDL cholesterol may not be so bad after all. Going a step further, researchers have provided the rationale to re-evaluate guidelines for heart health.

The researchers were pulled from seven countries around the world. They evaluated data obtained from 19 studies on over 68,094 adults. The objective of the research was to determine the role of LDL cholesterol in the mortality of older adults.

Well, the cholesterol hypothesis suggests that there should be a direct relationship between LDL cholesterol and death in older adults. But the results from the BMJ study found otherwise.

According to the researchers, over 80% of the participants with high LDL cholesterol did not die due to high cholesterol levels.

Conversely, researchers discovered that there was a high death rate among people with low levels of LDL cholesterol, the major cause of death for both male and female American adults.

The findings from these studies have contradicted the cholesterol hypothesis. The researchers who have themselves published books criticizing this cholesterol hypothesis agree that there has been a great exaggeration of the benefits of statin treatment.

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The origin of the cholesterol hypothesis

Experts who have challenged the acclaimed importance or benefits of LDL cholesterol say that we’ve made a lot of wrong measurements.

According to the researchers, cholesterol may not be a direct marker of heart disease. They also say that total cholesterol may not be an accurate metric.

According to the researchers, focusing on triglycerides might be the best way to monitor heart health.

In the 1960s, there was serious controversy over the primary cause of heart disease. One group focused on sugar as the culprit, while the other group insisted that dietary fat, especially saturated fat, was the primary cause.

John Yudkin championed the accusation against sugar, while Ancel Keys suggested that dietary fat was to blame. Yudkin was a British physiologist while Keys was an American scientist.

The battle continued until the 1970s, but then, three major discoveries relegated fat as the primary enemy of heart health.

The first discovery centered around familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic condition characterized by a lack of LDL receptor in the liver, usually leading to teenage death from a heart attack.

The second discovery was that LDL cholesterol level was raised by dietary fat.

And the third argument was that there was a correlation between high LDL levels and heart disease.

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Why Would Your Body Make LDL if It’s ‘Bad’?

The idea that fat was the problem, was welcome. Yudkin’s argument was completely forgotten, and the low-fat theory ruled, completely destroyed our diets, and resulted in the current metabolic syndrome and obesity pandemic.

The truth is that these three discoveries, all of which are not completely true, turned out to be unrelated and irrelevant.

The fact is LDL is not as bad as many think and that you should consider a healthy ketogenic diet full of vegetables. To learn more, read this article that explains ketosis more in detail.

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References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Underlying Cause of Death, 1999–2018. CDC WONDER Online Database. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2018. Accessed April 16, 2021.

Diamond DM, Ravnskov U. How statistical deception created the appearance that statins are safe and effective in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol 2015; 8:201–10.

Fryar CD, Chen T-C, Li X. Prevalence of uncontrolled risk factors for cardiovascular disease: United States, 1999–2010 pdf icon[PDF-494K]. NCHS data brief, no. 103. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2012. Accessed April 16, 2021.

Ravnskov U, Diamond DM, Hama R, et al. Lack of an association or an inverse association between low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and mortality in the elderly: a systematic review. BMJ Open 2016;6: e010401. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015–010401

Is Sitting Really that Bad?

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It’s a new world. Everything has been modernized, right from our bedrooms up to our workspaces.

As such, most people spend more time seated than ever before.

But the question is, “does too much sitting have any negative impact on our health?”

We’ll find out the answer to this in this article.

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There’s an increase in the number of people sitting these days

Sitting is a form of posture. People maintain a seated position when they work, study, travel, or socialize.

The average office worker spends an average of 15 hours a day sitting.

But that’s not to say that sitting is an entirely harmless behavior. Frankly, sitting and other sedentary postures cause some harm to the body. In most cases, people spend over half of their day sitting, engaging in activities such as working on the computer, watching movies, or driving.

Studies have shown that the average office worker spends an average of 15 hours a day sitting. Conversely, a person working on a farm may spend just three hours sitting (1, 2).

When you sit too much, you burn fewer calories.

We burn calories anytime we engage in our activities of daily living. Even simple non-exercise activities like walking, fidgeting, and standing help us to burn calories.

Energy expended in this form is known as non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). It is important to note that a lack of this activity (NEAT) contributes to weight gain (3).

Sedentary acts like lying down and sitting do not expend much energy. As such, the number of calories that you burn will be severely limited.

Let’s consider agricultural workers. Studies have shown that the number of calories they burn is 1000 times higher than that of people who do desk jobs (4).

This is because most agricultural workers spend a large chunk of their time standing and walking.

Photo by Zoe Schaeffer on Unsplash

When you sit, your risk of weight gain is increased

Burning fewer calories increases your risk of weight gain. This explains why people who lead sedentary lives are mostly obese.

Studies have shown that obese people sit at least two hours more than people with a healthy weight (5).

A sedentary life is linked to early death

Data collected from observing over a million people revealed that leading a sedentary life puts a person at risk of early death.

Studies have shown that the risk of death among sedentary people is 22–49% higher (6).

Sedentary behavior is also associated with chronic diseases

Studies have associated a consistent sedentary behavior with at least 30 chronic diseases. This includes a 147% increase in one’s risk of heart disease and a 112% increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes (6).

Research has also shown that not walking up to 1500 steps daily or sitting for a long time causes a rise in insulin resistance, driving type 2 diabetes (7).

Medical researchers think that leading a sedentary life may have a direct impact on insulin resistance. It is also worth knowing that this effect may occur in less than a day.

What you should do instead

Without a doubt, there’s a lot of sitting in Western societies.

However, while relaxing isn’t bad in itself, you must reduce the amount of time that you spend sitting at work.

If you’re doing a desk job, then invest in a standing desk. Ergonomics in the work environment is important. You can also take short walks while at work.

Reducing the amount of time spent sitting is as important to your health as regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Photo by Harmoni Desk on Unsplash

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References

1. Dunstan, D. W., Howard, B., Healy, G. N., & Owen, N. (2012). Too much sitting — a health hazard. Diabetes research and clinical practice, 97(3), 368–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2012.05.020
2. Levine, J. A., McCrady, S. K., Boyne, S., Smith, J., Cargill, K., & Forrester, T. (2011). Non-exercise physical activity in agricultural and urban people. Urban studies (Edinburgh, Scotland), 48(11), 2417–2427. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098010379273
3. Villablanca, P. A., Alegria, J. R., Mookadam, F., Holmes, D. R., Jr, Wright, R. S., & Levine, J. A. (2015). Nonexercise activity thermogenesis in obesity management. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 90(4), 509–519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.02.001
4. Levine J. A. (2014). Lethal sitting: homo sedentarius seeks answers. Physiology (Bethesda, Md.), 29(5), 300–301. https://doi.org/10.1152/physiol.00034.2014
5. Levine, J. A., Lanningham-Foster, L. M., McCrady, S. K., Krizan, A. C., Olson, L. R., Kane, P. H., Jensen, M. D., & Clark, M. M. (2005). Interindividual variation in posture allocation: possible role in human obesity. Science (New York, N.Y.), 307(5709), 584–586. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1106561
6. Wilmot, E. G., Edwardson, C. L., Achana, F. A., Davies, M. J., Gorely, T., Gray, L. J., Khunti, K., Yates, T., & Biddle, S. J. (2012). Sedentary time in adults and the association with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and death: systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetologia, 55(11), 2895–2905. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-012-2677-z
7. Krogh-Madsen, R., Thyfault, J. P., Broholm, C., Mortensen, O. H., Olsen, R. H., Mounier, R., Plomgaard, P., van Hall, G., Booth, F. W., & Pedersen, B. K. (2010). A 2-wk reduction of ambulatory activity attenuates peripheral insulin sensitivity. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md.: 1985), 108(5), 1034–1040. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00977.2009

Three Natural Ways to Defend Yourself Against COVID-19

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It is a known fact that viruses mutate rapidly, and these mutations cause the production or release of new variants of that virus. And, the novel coronavirus is no exception to this.

At least three variant strains of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) have been studied.

What’s more? There is a need for people to be concerned about these new strains. There is evidence that these strains may be more infectious than the original strain, resulting in massive spikes in new cases.

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CDC has made some discoveries about the strains

An increase in COVID-19 cases would greatly overwhelm global healthcare systems, resulting in many “preventable” deaths.

Although a lot of studies are still being done on the variants — their ease of spread, whether or not they cause severe illness, and if the current vaccines will be able to protect against these variants, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made the following discoveries about the new strains of the virus:

· There’s a large number of mutations in the B.1.1.7 variant of the virus. This variant was discovered in the UK and has spread across the globe, affecting industrialized nations like Canada and the United States. Agreed, the B.1.1.7 variant spreads very fast, but it is unknown whether it increases the risk of death or causes severe illnesses.

· The 1.351 strain was discovered in South Africa. This strain is independent of the UK variant, but both share a couple of mutations. Several cases have occurred outside South Africa. However, the 1.351 strain is yet to manifest in the United States.

· The P.1 strain originated in Brazil. It was discovered in four Brazilian travelers who underwent screening at Haneda Airport on the outskirts of Tokyo. The P.1 variant has not been detected in the US. P.1 contains a couple of mutations that may influence its ability to be identified by antibodies.

How can you protect yourself against these new variants?

The best way to defend yourself against the coronavirus's old and new strains is by minimizing your chances of exposure to the virus by naturally strengthening your immune system.

Medical researchers believe that the new strains of the virus have spike proteins that are longer and more open than the original strains. This allows efficient penetration of human cells, thus increasing their level of infectiousness. This means that transmission of infection will not require many virus particles — just a small number can do.

This explains why people should be more vigilant.

Here are a couple of ways to naturally protect yourself and your loved ones from the new strains of SARS-CoV-2.

1. Vitamin D

Research keeps coming out about the effectiveness of having optimal levels of vitamin D and defending against COVID-19. Having adequate levels of vitamin D can reduce hospitalizations and fatalities among COVID-19 patients.

Photo by Michele Blackwell on Unsplash

A recent study published out of India showed that vitamin D supplementation of 50,000 IU reduced the risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes among infected adults. Always consult your primary care physician before supplementing a large dose of vitamin D.

2. Omega-3's

Another new study showed that 21% of critically ill COVID-19 patients given 600 mg of fish oil daily for two weeks had a 1-month survival rate compared to only 3% of the patients given a placebo.

Photo by Anshu A on Unsplash

Omega-3 food sources include grass-fed meats and wild-caught fish. If you do not have access to these food types, then I highly recommend you start supplementing omega-3 that is molecular distilled, and 3rd party-lab tested such as this one.

3. Exercise

It is a fact that exercising boosts our immunity and makes us fit. A new study of nearly 50,000 people shows that being physically inactive doubles the risk of coronavirus death. It is therefore important that you engage in moderate exercise. This will boost your immune function and minimize your risk of respiratory infections. Intensive or vigorous exercise is good, but you should avoid it if you’re not feeling too well.

Photo by Fitsum Admasu on Unsplash

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References

Sallis R, Young DR, Tartof SY, et al. Physical inactivity is associated with a higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes: a study in 48 440 adult patients. British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 13 April 2021. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2021–104080

Oristrell et al., Preprints, doi:10.20944/preprints 202104.0173.v1 (Preprint)
 Association of Calcitriol Supplementation with Reduced COVID-19 Mortality in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Population-based Study

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Disclaimer

Dr. Brett Berner received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 2015. Dr. Berner is a licensed and practicing Foundational Chiropractor in Lutz, Florida. This article is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose, and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berner and you. It would be best if you did not change your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Foundation Chiropractic and Brett Berner, D.C. are not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other information, services, or product you obtain through this article or others.

Eggs vs Cereal: The Battle for Breakfast of Champions

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What do you eat for breakfast every morning? Nothing but cereals?

Well, be rest assured, you’re not alone. Cold cereals are a very convenient and easy food. Proponents of cereals claim it has lots of health benefits. But the question is, “are they as healthy as claimed?”

Several studies have shown that an early breakfast improves satiety and helps you snack less during the day. But eating only carbs at breakfast might be detrimental to your health needs. You’re better off adding some protein and fat as well.

So, in this article, we’ll see which is a healthier alternative for breakfast: cereals or eggs?

What is cereal?

Breakfast cereal is produced from grains. Most cereals are fortified with minerals and vitamins. They’re usually eaten with yogurt, milk, nuts, or fruits (1).

Photo by Deena Englard on Unsplash

So, how are breakfast cereals made? Typically, they are made by:

1. Processing: The food manufacturer processes the grains into fine flour and cooks them.

2. Extrusion: Some breakfast cereals are produced via an extrusion process. During extrusion, the cereal is shaped with a machine that uses a high-temperature process.

3. Mixing: Grains are crushed into flour. The flour is mixed with ingredients such as water, cocoa, and sugar.

4. Drying: The processed cereal is dried

5. Shaping: The cereal is cut into shapes like stars, bells, rectangles, or loops.

Some breakfast cereals may be shredded, flaked, or even puffed before they’re dried.

So, what’s the problem with breakfast cereals?

Well, there’s nothing as terrific in the modern diet as added sugar. And there are loads of it in breakfast cereals.

You see, added sugar contributes to chronic Qdiseases, and the thing is — we’re simply eating plenty of it (2, 3, 4).

Most of the added foods come from heavily processed foods — and the foods with the highest amount of added sugars are breakfast cereals, followed by soft drinks.

If you check well, you’ll see that sugar is almost always the second or third ingredient in breakfast cereals.

When you eat cereals for breakfast, you’ll cause your insulin and blood sugar levels to spike. Shortly after, your blood sugar level crashes, causing your body to crave another snack or meal rich in carbs. This ultimately causes you to overeat all the time (5).

Eating a lot of sugar also increases your risk of cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes (6, 7, 8).

Most breakfast cereals are advertised with misleading health claims

Yes, a lot of breakfast cereals are advertised as being healthy. You’ll most likely see colorful ads with notes like “whole grain” and “low fat.” But a look at their listed ingredients shows refined sugar and grains as the very first ingredients.

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

Here’s the thing — small amounts of grains do not in any way increase the health benefits of these cereals. These health claims only serve as an effective way to trick people into thinking that these food products are healthy.

Children are more at risk because breakfast cereals are often marketed to them.

Many cereal manufacturers target children. These food manufacturers use cartoons, action figures, and even bright colors to catch children's attention.

This explains why many children associate cereals with fun and entertainment.

Imagine if they made it illegal to use fictitious, cartoon characters to market processed foods.

It also alters the taste preferences of these kids. Many children would rather go for foods that have well-known cartoon characters on the packaging.

What’s more? Eating processed, sugary food increases the risk of childhood obesity and other diseases.

What you should do is add PROTEIN to your breakfast

Protein is a vital macronutrient. It reduces appetite and increases satiety.

Proteins affect the levels of several hormones, like ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and peptide YY, the fullness hormone (9, 10).

Eggs are an excellent source of extra protein. They are one of the most nutritious foods on earth. They also contain cholesterol which is needed for a healthy lifestyle. Read this to learn about why “bad” LDL is actually needed for your body to function optimally.

The nutrients packed in a single egg are enough to cause a single cell to develop into a full live chicken.

According to Nutrition Data, the nutrients contained in one boiled egg include:

· Folate — 5% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA)

· Vitamin A — 6% of the RDA

· Selenium — 22% RDA

· Phosphorus — 9% RDA

· Vitamin B12–9% RDA

· Vitamin B5–7% RDA

· Vitamin B2–15% RDA

Photo by Zachariah Smith on Unsplash

Eggs are also rich in vitamin E, K, D, and B6 and zinc and calcium.

This is packed with 6g of protein, 77 calories, and 5g of fats. There are also vital trace nutrients in fats — and they’re great for your health.

Eggs are perfect. They contain a bit of every nutrient that your body requires.

Make sure you buy eggs that clearly stated they are pasture-raised. They’re the best kind. These eggs are loaded with healthy, omega-3 fats and are enriched with vitamins A and E (11).

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References

1. Whittaker, P., Tufaro, P. R., & Rader, J. I. (2001). Iron and folate in fortified cereals. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 20(3), 247–254. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2001.10719039

2. Te Morenga, L., Mallard, S., & Mann, J. (2012). Dietary sugars and body weight: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials and cohort studies. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 346, e7492. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e7492

3. Basciano, H., Federico, L., & Adeli, K. (2005). Fructose, insulin resistance, and metabolic dyslipidemia. Nutrition & metabolism, 2(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-2-5

4. Johnson, R. K., Appel, L. J., Brands, M., Howard, B. V., Lefevre, M., Lustig, R. H., Sacks, F., Steffen, L. M., Wylie-Rosett, J., & American Heart Association Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism and the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention (2009). Dietary sugars intake and cardiovascular health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 120(11), 1011–1020. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192627

5. Roberts S. B. (2000). High-glycemic index foods, hunger, and obesity: is there a connection? Nutrition reviews, 58(6), 163–169. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2000.tb01855.x

6. Weeratunga, P., Jayasinghe, S., Perera, Y., Jayasena, G., & Jayasinghe, S. (2014). Per capita sugar consumption and prevalence of diabetes mellitus — global and regional associations. BMC public health, 14, 186. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-186

7. Stanhope, K. L., Schwarz, J. M., & Havel, P. J. (2013). Adverse metabolic effects of dietary fructose: results from the recent epidemiological, clinical, and mechanistic studies. Current opinion in lipidology, 24(3), 198–206. https://doi.org/10.1097/MOL.0b013e3283613bca

8. Seely, S., & Horrobin, D. F. (1983). Diet and breast cancer: the possible connection with sugar consumption. Medical hypotheses, 11(3), 319–327. https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-9877(83)90095-6

9. Paddon-Jones, D., Westman, E., Mattes, R. D., Wolfe, R. R., Astrup, A., & Westerterp-Plantenga, M. (2008). Protein, weight management, and satiety. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 87(5), 1558S–1561S. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/87.5.1558S

10. Blom, W. A., Lluch, A., Stafleu, A., Vinoy, S., Holst, J. J., Schaafsma, G., & Hendriks, H. F. (2006). Effect of a high-protein breakfast on the postprandial ghrelin response. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 83(2), 211–220. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/83.2.211

11. Samman S, Kung F, Carter L, et al. (2009). Fatty acid composition of certified organic, conventional, and omega-3 eggs. Food Chemistry, 116(4), 911–914

9 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

 

Intermittent fasting is the latest health and fitness trend. People use it for weight loss, to boost their health, and also to simplify their lives. In a previous article, we talked about coffee and if it breaks your intermittent fast or not. Several nutritional pieces of research have shown that intermittent fasting has benefits for your brain and body. It even prolongs life (1, 2, 3).

This article examines the 9 key health benefits of intermittent fasting based on scientific research.

1. Intermittent Fasting Alters Gene, Cell, and Hormonal Functions

A lot of things happen in the body when a person stays away from food for a while.

For instance, major cellular repair processes are initiated. Your hormonal levels also change to ease access to fat stored in the body.

The following changes take places in your body when you are undergoing a fast:

• The insulin levels in your blood drop significantly. This helps your body to burn fat faster (4).
• There may be a 5-fold increase in the growth hormone levels in your blood (5, 6). High levels of growth hormone facilitate the burning of fat as well as muscle gain (7, 8).
• Fasting also triggers several cellular repair mechanisms, including the flushing of waste from cells (9).
• Changes in gene expression is also an important benefit of intermittent fasting. These changes occur in molecules and genes associated with protection against disease and longevity (10, 11).

2. Intermittent Fasting Burns Belly Fat and Enhances Weight Loss

Many proponents of intermittent fasting do it because they believe that it promotes weight loss (12).

It is important to note that intermittent fasting may help you to take in fewer calories.

Also, intermittent fasting benefits the hormonal function by speeding up weight loss.

High levels of growth hormones, low insulin levels, and high amounts of noradrenaline (norepinephrine) increase the breakdown of fat and boost its energy use.

This explains why short-term fasting boosts metabolic rate by almost 3.6 – 14%, thus enhancing the burning of calories (13, 14).

3. Intermittent Fasting Lowers Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes by Reducing Insulin Resistance

Recently, there has been an increase in the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes.

The primary feature of Type 2 diabetes is high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) due to insulin resistance.

It is important to note that whatever reduces insulin resistance can also help lower blood sugar levels and thus protect against type 2 diabetes.

The good news is that intermittent fasting helps with insulin resistance and facilitates the reduction of blood sugar levels (15).

Studies on intermittent fasting involving human subjects have shown that fasting blood sugar goes down by 3-6% during intermittent fasting. Also, fasting insulin reduces by at least 20% (16).

The implication is that intermittent fasting may be helpful for people who have a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

4. It Reduces Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress is a major contributor to aging and several chronic ailments (17).

It involves free radicals, which are unstable molecules that react with important molecules and cause damage to them (18).

Many studies have shown that intermittent fasting can enhance the body’s resistance to oxidative stress (19, 20).

Also, studies have shown that intermittent fasting has anti-inflammatory effects, and inflammation is a major driver of most diseases (20, 21, 22).

5. It May Improve Heart Health

Heart disease is a major cause of death globally (23).

Studies have shown that several health markers are linked to a high or low risk of heart disease.

Studies have shown that intermittent fasting improves the risk factors for heart disease, such as LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammatory markers, blood triglycerides, and blood sugar levels (15, 24, 25, 26).

But it is worth noting that most of these studies are animal-based. There is a need for more studies on the effect of intermittent fasting on heart health in humans before any recommendations can be made.

6. It Induces Repair Mechanisms in Cells

When you are fasting, your body initiates a process called autophagy. This process involves the removal of cellular waste (10, 28).

Autophagy involves the breakdown of cells, as well as the metabolism of broken and dysfunctional proteins that accumulate inside cells over time.

Autophagy can offer protection against some diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and cancer (29, 30).

7. It Can Help Prevent Cancer

Cancer is a chronic condition. Its major feature is the uncontrollable growth of cells in the body.

Fasting has many benefits on the body’s metabolism. These effects may help to reduce the risk of cancer.

There is certainly a need for human studies, but animal studies conducted so far have shown that intermittent fasting can prevent cancer (31, 32, 33, 34).

There is some proof that fasting can ease the side effects of chemotherapy (35).

8. It May Improve Brain Health

You see, what is good for your body is equally good for your brain.

Research has shown that intermittent fasting boosts those metabolic activities that improve brain health.

Metabolic features in this category include reduced inflammation, oxidative stress, reduced insulin resistance, and a lowered blood sugar level.

Rodent studies have shown that intermittent fasting enhances the growth of nerve cells, which theoretically should be beneficial for brain function (36, 37).

It also boosts the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (36, 38, 39). A deficiency of this hormone contributes to depression and other mental conditions (40).

Results from animal studies show that intermittent fasting has protective effects against stroke-induced brain damage (41).

9. Could Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder and is very common.

Currently, there’s no cure for it, so you should prevent it from showing up.

Studies carried out on rodents have shown that Alzheimer’s disease onset can be delayed by intermittent fasting. It may also make it less severe (42).

Several case reports have shown that lifestyle interventions, including intermittent fasts, can cause significant improvements in the symptoms experienced by most Alzheimer’s patients (43).

Also, animal studies have shown that fasting has protective effects against the development of other neurodegenerative ailments, like Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease (44, 45).

More human research, however, needs to be done. There are many health benefits of intermittent fasting. We hope that after reading this article that you might consider giving a shot and getting healthier.