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Intermittent Fasting - helps diminsh insulin resistance

Here we go again....back to the Intermittent Fasting blog!

In previous posts I've mentioned the problems with insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is the condition in which normal amounts of insulin are inadequate to produce a normal insulin response from fat, muscle and liver cells. Insulin resistance in fat cells results in hydrolysis of stored triglycerides, which elevates free fatty acids in the blood plasma. Insulin resistance in muscle reduces glucose uptake whereas insulin resistance in liver reduces glucose storage, with both effects serving to elevate blood glucose. High plasma levels of insulin and glucose due to insulin resistance often lead to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

Mark Sisson's diabetes post explains how eating too much sugar and exercising too little leads via insulin resistance to diabetes.

Here is a new piece of research that looks at the effect of Ramadan style fasting on insulin resistance

Effect of Ramadan fasting on some indices of insulin resistance and components of the metabolic syndrome in healthy male adults.

The conclusion was that "the combined change in the number and timing of meals and portioning of the entire intake into only two meals per d may increase insulin sensitivity in subjects with the metabolic syndrome even when the decrease in energy consumption is minimal."



It seems that the benefits of IF keep on growing. It is certainly worth learning more about this way of eating. As I've said before, Fast5 is a decent introduction and Eat Stop Eat has a good analysis of some recent research.



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