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.

Eggs vs Cereal: The Battle for Breakfast of Champions

Photo by Ismael Trevino on Unsplash

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.

Should I Combine Intermittent Fasting and Keto?

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It is no longer news that intermittent fasting and the keto diet are two of the most popular health trends of the 21st century.

Many people believe in their weight loss benefits. Some use it to put specific health issues in check.

The health benefits of intermittent fasting and the keto diet are backed by solid research. However, many people wonder if they can safely combine both.

This article will define the keto diet and intermittent fasting and explain whether it is safe to combine both.

Let's define intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves cycling between fasting (calorie restriction) and regular food intake during a specific period (1). Its popularity has increased such that it got featured in a review article published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

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You see, there are different ways of fasting intermittently. These include the alternate – day fasting, the warrior diet, and the 5:2 method.

Intermittent fasting is mostly used for weight loss. But it also has other health benefits. For instance, some studies have shown that it has anti-inflammatory actions and improves blood sugar regulation and brain function (2, 3, 4).

How about the ketogenic diet?

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb diet, but one that is also high in fats. The ketogenic diet's goal is to furnish your body with more fat calories and fewer carb calories.

When you are on a ketogenic diet, your carb consumption will be reduced to less than 50g per day. This forces your body to burn fats for energy instead of glucose (5). And as your body burns fat, so do you lose weight.

Your body breaks down fat to form substances known as ketones. Ketones serve as an alternate source of fuel for your body (6).

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Ketogenic dieting is a great way to lose weight, but this isn't the only benefit of following this healthy lifestyle.

The ketogenic diet can effectively manage other conditions, such as epilepsy (7). Studies have shown that it improves symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (8).

It is also worth knowing that the keto diet may reduce blood sugar, improve insulin resistance, and reduce triglyceride levels and other risk factors of heart disease (9, 10).

What are the health benefits of combining both intermittent fasting and keto diet?

Combining both keto diet and intermittent fasting does have some benefits.

It helps you to reach ketosis faster.

By combining intermittent fasting with keto, you can reach ketosis faster than if you did the keto diet alone.

During fasting, your body maintains its energy balance by getting its fuel from fats instead of carbs, and the keto diet is built upon this premise (11).

During fasting, your glycogen stores and insulin levels decrease, causing your body to burn fat for fuel (12).

So, keto dieters who struggle to reach ketosis while on a keto diet can jumpstart the process with intermittent fasting.

You can burn more body fat than if you were on a keto diet alone.

Combining intermittent fasting with the keto diet can help you burn more fat than on a diet alone.

Intermittent fasting promotes heat production or thermogenesis, thus boosting metabolism. This causes your body to utilize stubborn fat stores (13).

Many studies have discovered that intermittent fasting can cause you to shed excess body fat at safe levels.

It preserves muscle mass during weight loss and boosts energy levels – which is advantageous for ketogenic dieters looking to drop body fat and improve athletic performance (14, 15).

Some studies also suggest that intermittent fasting can increase satiety, enhancing weight loss (16).

Is it safe to combine intermittent fasting with keto?

Yes, it is for most people.

However, intermittent fasting is not safe for breastfeeding moms, pregnant women, or low or disordered eating habits.

Like heart disease or diabetes, people with chronic health conditions should see their doctor before combining intermittent fasting with the keto diet.

While it may be helpful for some, combining intermittent fasting with a keto diet may not work for others.

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Some people find it hard to fast while on the keto diet. Some may experience adverse reactions, like binge eating on non-fasting days. Others may experience fatigue and irritability (17).

Always remember – you can reach ketosis even without intermittent fasting, but intermittent fasting helps you to do so quickly.

Following a healthy, complete keto diet helps anyone who wants to improve their health by reducing carb intake.

Why Bacon is HEALTHY for You

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Why would bacon be healthy for you when it's filled with “artery-clogging" saturated fat, excessive amounts of sodium that raises blood pressure, and the “cancer-causing” nitrates/nitrites?

Would you believe me if I told you that all 3 of those points are myths and that bacon is healthier for you than you think?

SATURATED FATS

A majority of the public still think that saturated fats are linked to heart disease because they raise cholesterol. Saturated fats, without refined carbs and in the presence of enough omega-3, do not show to be harmful to your body (1). In fact, the sugar industry back in the 60’s paid off scientists to claim saturated fats caused heart disease (2).

SODIUM

People with salt-sensitive hypertension should avoid excessive sodium (salt) intake because it raises their blood pressure. However, in most people, there’s little to no association between salt consumption and hypertension (3). Sodium is an essential mineral which means it’s critical for our health. Excessive amounts risk kidney damage (4) and cognitive decline (5). The average American consumes nearly double the RDI. Anything in excess is harmful so use moderation, but don’t worry about the blood pressure increases.

NITRITES/NITRATES

Finally, the big horror story of eating bacon, according to mainstream health, nitrates. Used in the process of curing bacon, nitrates have been shown in only ONE study to increase the risk of cancers. This study has been discredited after being subjected to a peer review. Since then, there have been major reviews of the scientific literature that found no link between nitrates and cancers (6,7). What’s surprising is nitrates may even be beneficial for your immune system (8) and heart health (9) due to the conversion to nitric oxide.

It may come at a surprise to you but 1 serving of arugula, 2 servings of lettuce, and 4 servings of celery or beets have more nitrates than 467 hot dogs (10). What’s more surprising is your saliva has more than all of them combined. That’s because salivary nitrite accounts for 70-90% of our total nitrite exposure.

NITRATE-FREE SCAM

The “nitrite/nitrate-free” hot dogs and bacon are a scam and not worth the extra cost. Don’t be fooled because these products use “natural” sources from celery and beets and contain the same chemical. In fact, they may even contain MORE when cured using these “natural” preservatives. 

So eat your bacon and ENJOY it!

REFERENCES

1. SF & HEART = https://goo.gl/9jsHCm

2. SUGAR INDUSTRY = https://goo.gl/ucxpP1

3. SALT & BP = https://goo.gl/2PrLGt

4. SALT & KIDNEY = https://goo.gl/9UcZEW

5. SALT = https://goo.gl/mqWh1R

6. CANCER 1 = https://goo.gl/LcVnKE

7. CANCER 2 = https://goo.gl/Yhh66g

8. IMMUNE = https://goo.gl/w5Jg7f

9. HEART = https://goo.gl/s8ou5V

10. HOTDOGS = https://goo.gl/tDaa6Z