Intermittent Fasting Benefits for Seniors

Intermittent fasting is currently one of the most popular health trends worldwide. Its rise in popularity has to do with its sustainability. Rather than focusing on what you eat, intermittent fasting is more about when you eat. Followers of this health trend cycle between periods of eating and periods of fasting.

There are a few methods that intermittent fasters choose to practice. The simplest method is referred to as the 16/8 method. Here, the window in which one can eat is eight hours, followed by a sixteen-hour fast. Other methods are more restrictive, requiring an all-day fast twice a week or a very restrictive caloric intake two times a week, followed by normal eating the other five days. The 16/8 method is the most popular because it is the most sustainable.

Studies show that intermittent fasting has powerful effects on the body and brain and can even help you live longer. It’s always best to discuss with your primary care physician before trying intermittent fasting or any other diet, for that matter. Once your doctor clears you, here are a few benefits seniors can expect to gain from intermittent fasting.

Intermittent Fasting Helps with Weight Loss

Changes in metabolism and hormones make it easier for older adults to gain a few pounds while simultaneously making it more challenging for them to lose weight. Intermittent fasting can help healthy, active older adults lose those last few pounds that they can’t seem to drop. Fasting lowers insulin levels, which sends signals to the body to stop storing extra calories as fat. Also, intermittent fasting targets belly fat, which is generally the most difficult fat to lose.

Intermittent Fasting Resets Circadian Rhythms

Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that are a part of the body’s internal clock. They run in the background, carrying out essential functions and processes, such as sleep schedules, body temperature, and appetite. Taking a significant break from eating resets circadian rhythms. It can help you get to sleep quicker if you opt to end your eating window in the early evening hours. It can also help you stay asleep longer as your body isn’t busy digesting a large meal right before bedtime.

Intermittent Fasting Boosts Brain Power

Studies have shown that a diet high in sugar and carbohydrates can cause memory loss and even increase the risk of dementia. As the stomach digests sugars and starches, these foods are broken down into glucose. Elevated glucose levels result in slower cognitive function. Intermittent fasting works to combat this. By not eating, the body has time to burn up glucose reserves in the blood and liver. The body then refers to the liver, which turns fat into ketones, as another energy source. The brain actually prefers ketones for fuel as they produce fewer harmful reactive oxygen species than glucose.

Intermittent Fasting Prevents Heart Disease

Finally, intermittent fasting can lower the risk of heart disease by improving some risk factors that are related to heart health. Intermittent fasting helps with weight loss, lowers blood pressure, and reduces insulin resistance. It also improves cholesterol by decreasing low-density lipoprotein, or the “bad” cholesterol. Similar to the brain, the heart also prefers ketones for fuel. Ketones work to protect the heart from inflammation and injury.

As experts continue to study the many benefits of intermittent fasting in senior health, it’s important to note that intermittent fasting isn’t for every senior. Intermittent fasting may not be appropriate for underweight seniors, have a chronic condition or have ever struggled with an eating disorder.

At Visiting Angels Jenkintown, we provide personalized home care services for seniors in a variety of ways. Our companion services can assist with various aspects of day-to-day living for those who are starting to show some signs of physical or cognitive decline. Seniors who live with chronic health conditions can find the assistance they need through our personal care services. We can also assist seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s and provide support for seniors and their families facing end-of-life transitions. To learn more about our in-home senior care services, please contact us today by calling 215-938-7201.