A health expert has weighed in on whether or not fasting is beneficial to the body, as the dietary trend rises in popularity.
Intermittent fasting, the '5:2 diet', every-other-day fasting, and time-restricted eating are all variations of an eating trend pushed by wellness enthusiasts as not only a way to lose weight, but also something that comes with unexpected health benefits.
Research the impacts of fasting on the internet, and you're even likely to come across numerous simulations talking about putting your body into a state of autophagy and 'deep repair mode' or supporters of the diet extolling all the ways that fasting could provide you with health benefits.
But how accurate are the claims that fasting can be some sort of 'factory reset' for the body?
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According to nutritionist and health expert Alan Aragon, fasting is a 'double-edged sword' that can certainly work in some cases.
"For the control of calories in, fasting is legit," he told Steven Bartlett on a recent episode of his Diary of a CEO podcast.
"It actually works for one of the options for dieting. There has been an accumulation of studies showing that it works great."
However, Aragon had some words for anyone planning to spend the next 24, 48 or 72 hours fasting to put their body in a state of autophagy.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, autophagy is the body's 'natural cleaning out process' that begins when the body is exposed to nutrient deprivation (such as fasting). This leads to old or damaged cells being broken down and recycled.
Aragon explained that fasting isn't the only way to put your body into a state of autophagy, as most major types of exercise can also do this.
"[Autophagy] it happens in a calorific deficit regardless of whether fasting is involved or not," he said. "So if you want to ‘chase autophagy’, then doing it through intermittent fasting or prolonged periods of not eating is a double-edged sword, whereas the autophagy increases through exercise, they don’t have a downside."
The nutritionist also warned about triggering a process known as autosis, widespread cell death, which occurs during starvation.
Aragon also explained that fasting may not have the intended benefits for some people, as he explained: "What I’m seeing in the community is people thinking that intermittent fasting is something that is necessary or beneficial to do regardless of your body fat level.
"But that’s not actually true."
He went on to reference a study which revealed that intermittent fasting can contribute to loss of 'lean body mass' in individuals who already had a low level of body fat.
"We need to focus on other things like how do we maintain a certain body fat percentage, level of physical activity and dietary pattern," he added.
"It’s those things that are much more productive to target."
Brenna Cooper