Intermittent fasting
29 March 2022 Estimated time: ~1 min.
Intermittent fasting has gained popularity in recent years and this is because it is more than a diet: it has extraordinary effects on the skin, not just the figure!
Fasting can make you think at being hungry, but that’s not the point! It is not a diet, but a lifstyle that matters more when we eat than what and how much.
Studies have shown that intermittent fasting has beneficial effects on patients with diabetes and heart disease, can lower cholesterol levels, influence the inflammatory process, trigger stem cell regeneration, strengthen immunity and have an anti-aging effect.
What is the explanation?
When you are full, your insulin increases, and this is a signal to store fat. If you are fasting, your insulin is low, your body turning fat into energy.
The 16/8 method is among the most appreciated when it comes to intermittent fasting, because it is easy to follow, especially if you include overnight sleep hours. This means that we skip breakfast and eat only for eight hours, after which there is a 16-hour break, we only drink water. For example, we eat between 8.00 and 16.00 and fast, therefore, from 16.00 until the next day at 8.00 in the morning.
How intermittent fasting helps the skin
Caloric restriction increases the number of stem cells that play a role in regeneration. Fasting also has an anti-inflammatory effect. In addition to losing weight and strengthening the immune system, intermittent fasting helps the skin by detoxifying. Thus, the skin becomes cleaner and brighter, the irritations disappear, the fine wrinkles are attenuated.
Some experts see fasting as a natural probiotic, which ensures a healthy intestinal flora, and this is directly reflected in the appearance of the skin: over time, the skin regains its luminosity and elasticity.
In addition, the body secretes serotonin during intermittent fasting, but also melatonin, the "hormone of youth", which delays the aging of the skin and also has an antioxidant role. Melatonin is stronger than vitamin C, E and beta-carotene!
At the same time, studies show that intermittent fasting causes autophagy, a process by which cells use outdated and dysfunctional proteins to produce the energy needed for the body to function and stimulate tissue regeneration. And the skin, obviously!
