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Elon Musk did it. His predecessor, former Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey, apparently did it, too. Evernote’s Phil Libin and Y Combinator’s Daniel Gross are also said to have ditched three meals a day in favor of an increasingly popular eating pattern: intermittent fasting.
Maybe you already limit your eating to six to eight hours a day. Or maybe you go 24 hours without eating a few days a week. If you don’t do this, then a few of your coworkers probably do.
A growing body of research suggests intermittent fasting has numerous health benefits. But how does a fasting diet affect your performance at work?
“From an evolutionary perspective, fasting is when your brain is at its best,” says Mark Mattson, PhD, professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and author of “The Intermittent Fasting Revolution.” “If you were a wild animal without access to food for days on end, your brain and body have to be functioning optimally or you wouldn’t survive.”
How does intermittent fasting work for those of us trying to survive in the concrete jungle of work life?
Is intermittent fasting healthy?
Many people attribute weight loss to intermittent fasting, and some studies suggest it can protect against cancer, dementia, heart disease, and diabetes, and even help slow the aging process.
Improved insulin sensitivity and reduced inflammation may underlie all of these benefits. When you fast, your body responds better to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. With better overall blood sugar control and less circulating sugar to burn, the body switches to burning fat.
Better blood sugar control and less body fat may mean less overall inflammation, which appears to play a role in many aging-related diseases.
How quickly does intermittent fasting work?
Trying to prevent dementia, which may not affect you for decades, might be reason enough to commit to rescheduling your meals. But could intermittent fasting give you a head start on that, too?
There isn’t a lot of research on the more direct effects of fasting on brain performance in humans. But animal studies show many examples of benefits.
Studies on mice have shown that within a few weeks of following the new regimen, levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) increased. This brain molecule plays a role in learning, memory and forming new connections in the brain. BDNF also suppresses depression and anxiety.
“Once the animals adapt to intermittent fasting, we see a decrease in anxiety levels, which allows them to focus better, and then we see improvements in learning and memory,” Mattson said.
It may sound counterintuitive that you learn and remember better when you’re fasting. Many people will say that they simply can’t think clearly when they’re fasting. But these feelings are temporary.
“You just have to get used to it,” Mattson says. “It’s like working out: If you start running without any prior experience, you’re not going to feel great at first. It takes a few weeks to a month for your system to adjust.”
Once your body is forced to start burning fat instead of sugar for energy, the fog will lift as your concentration improves. Fasting can also improve sleep because you finish digestion earlier in the day. Better sleep quality has its own benefits, including a sharper mind.
Set yourself up for success
There are several different types of intermittent fasting plans. One method is to set a six- to eight-hour eating window where you get all your daily calories during a certain time period, such as 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Outside of that window, you only drink water, black coffee, tea, or soft drinks. Other beverages contain no calories.
Another option: fast for 24 hours one or two days a week. A third method is to choose two or more days a week to eat only 500 calories and eat normally on the other days.
Before you get started, keep in mind that “this is not for everyone,” says Caroline Susie, R.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “If you’re pregnant, nursing, taking insulin for diabetes, or have a history of disordered eating, we don’t want to go down this route.”
If you’re not sure this is safe for you, talk to your doctor. When you’re ready, try these tips:
Start little by little
If you normally eat three meals a day with snacks in between, spread out over all your waking hours, then suddenly fasting for 18 hours a day may be difficult at first. Start with a 12-hour feeding window, such as 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and shrink that window each week.
Don’t forget nutrition
Some people think they can eat whatever they want during the window. If you want to feel your best while fasting and reap all the health benefits of this lifestyle, a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fiber, whole grains, and lean protein, Soucie says, “will set you up for fasting success.”
Remember to stay hydrated
You can drink as much water as you want during your fast, and you should: “Some people are simply dehydrated and they experience headaches and misinterpret it as a side effect of fasting.”
For more information on healthy eating:
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