Is Intermittent Fasting Good for Women? Know These 3 Dangers
Intermittent fasting has gained tremendous popularity in recent years. In fact, its adherents dislike the term diet and prefer to refer to it as a lifestyle. Intermittent fasting is essentially dividing your day between eating and fasting windows.
The most prevalent intermittent diet consists of 16 hours of fasting, leaving you with 8 hours to plan your eating window.
Numerous people have lost weight and benefited from it. Its greatest advantage is that it decreases the amount of time you can spend eating. There are further variations of intermittent fasting, such as eating for 5 days and fasting for 2 days, or fasting for 24 hours and then eating the next day.
Most people skip breakfast and consume an early dinner thereby resulting in a simple 16-hour fasting cycle. But is intermittent fasting healthy for everyone?
According to some dietitians, it may not be the greatest option for women. Let’s explore why –
Danger 1
Intermittent fasting has different effects on men and women. Some researchers have observed that prolonged fasting worsens glucose control in women, as opposed to increasing it. Rather of fasting for three to four days in a row, it is preferable to fast for shorter durations.
Danger 2
Another study found that prolonged fasting and caloric restriction can influence the hypothalamus in women, hence inhibiting the production of hormones that regulate LH and FSH. This can result in irregular periods and may contribute to infertility in women.
Danger 3
Intermittent fasting can boost cortisol levels in women, leading to stress and a weakened immune system. It is recommended for women to try intermittent fasting for a shorter duration and consume nutrient-dense foods like bone broth or yoghurt before bed.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does intermittent fasting work for females?
Numerous research indicate that intermittent fasting might be a useful strategy for female weight loss. According to one study, women over 60 who followed a daily 16/8 intermittent fasting schedule for six weeks experienced an average body fat loss of 2 kilos, or 4.5 pounds.
2. How many hours should a woman do intermittent fasting?
On a fasting day, you are permitted to ingest 20–25% (or roughly 500 calories) of your daily caloric consumption. The 16/8 Approach, often known as the “Leangains Approach,” consumes all of one’s calories in a single eight-hour period while fasting for 16 hours each day.
3. How does fasting affect female hormones?
According to several research, fasting reduces kisspeptin synthesis, which in turn interferes with the production and release of oestrogen and progesterone. According to the hypothesis, this could lead to hormonal imbalances in some women, which could cause symptoms including mood swings and missed or irregular periods.
4. What can women drink while intermittent fasting?
While fasting, women are permitted to drink water, coffee, tea, and other non-caloric beverages. Small amounts of low-calorie foods are permitted during some types of intermittent fasting. In general, taking supplements during fasting is acceptable as long as they contain no calories.
