INTERMITTENT FASTING - THE NEW CRAZE, BUT ARE THERE UNFORESEEN RISKS?

INTERMITTENT FASTING - THE NEW CRAZE, BUT ARE THERE UNFORESEEN RISKS?

For the layperson, fasting, intermittent or prolonged does not generally have any negative implications (in fact it has many positive implications). However, the people who are doing this as a part of their weight loss strategy definitely need to be careful. Why you ask, as you watch people on social media start their multiple day broth fasts? The answer is actually quite simple but the problems that may arise from this are potentially very dangerous.

The people who tend to use this strategy are generally extremely unhealthy and tend to have a negative relationship with food. As humans, we generally fast between 10-12 hours normally between dinner and breakfast time. This is normal for us. The next step that most IF proponents use is a 16 hour fasting window and an 8 hour eating window (aka skipping a meal) which is also fine. It is at this point however where things can get tricky. 

For someone with a negative relationship with food (overweight and obese people generally tend to fit this profile), something like this could lead to future eating disorders. First it is 16 hours then 24, then 48, then they are doing 5-7 days water and broth fasts. Here is where the issue starts and can get much more complicated. If someone does not hit their target (which for people who use food as an emotional crutch) they can begin to feel like failures and things can spiral out of control. They may begin to feel negatively about themselves and partake in more extreme behaviours either restricting food for long periods of time, purging, and on the there spectrum going on a total food binge, leading to more negative self talk and the circle repeats itself.

In my opinion, there is really no reason, no matter what your eating plan is to fast more than 16 hours. The short term benefits may lead to much more complex problems down the road. We need to take care of our mental health as much as our physical health as the two are beyond closely related.