A well-liked diet trend called intermittent fasting is gaining popularity to assist people in enhancing their general health and lowering their risk of developing chronic diseases. Intermittent fasting has been demonstrated to lower bad cholesterol levels, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL), among its many other potential advantages. Intermittent fasting can also boost healthy cholesterol levels.
This is crucial since elevated LDL cholesterol is associated with a higher risk of coronary heart disease. Therefore, intermittent fasting can lower the risk of heart disease by lowering harmful cholesterol levels. Though intermittent fasting may lower harmful cholesterol concentrations, it should be accompanied by a nutritious lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and many exercises to obtain the desired results.
Let us discuss the positive effects of intermittent fasting…
Numerous health advantages of IF include improved physical function, longer life expectancy, better cognitive function, improved insulin sensitivity, improved cardiovascular disease markers, decreased inflammation, and balanced weight loss. They can even halt the onset of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
The additional benefits of IF for weight loss may also enhance other aspects of your health. For instance, it might help with joint issues like arthritis or asthma.
Before jumping on to the correlation between Intermittent Fasting and cholesterol, let’s have a brief look at What Cholesterol Is :
The liver makes the lipid cholesterol. Despite its negative reputation, it performs a variety of vital bodily activities. They include the creation of vitamins and hormones and the preservation of cell wall integrity.
Around 80% of cholesterol is produced by the hepatic system and other organs. Since cholesterol is a fat molecule, it needs other molecules, known as lipoproteins, to transport it throughout the body because it cannot move through the bloodstream independently. Although there are many different kinds of these molecules, high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are the most significant two.
Because it eliminates cholesterol from circulation and transports it to the liver for processing and removal from the body, HDL is the “good” form of cholesterol.
LDL is the “bad” version because it can build up inside blood vessel walls and transports cholesterol via the bloodstream to the cells.
Atherosclerosis is the medical term for the narrowing and stiffening of the blood arteries brought on by an accumulation of LDL cholesterol resembling plaque.
What impact does intermittent fasting have on cholesterol levels?
Due to the shift in conversion between glucose to ketones during intermittent fasting, cholesterol levels are affected.
This causes the body to start utilizing lipids instead of storing them. Lipids leave the cells, circulate through the bloodstream, and then enter the liver, where it gets converted to ketones.
The kind and quantity of cholesterol required to aid in the transfer differ depending on the general direction of the lipids. In turn, this causes a reduction in LDL and an increase in HDL. Your cholesterol profile is improved as a result, and the risk of dyslipidemia—a significant susceptibility indicator for cardiovascular disease—is decreased.
Triglycerides disintegrate into glycerol and fatty acids during fasting, and these fatty acids are then transformed into ketone bodies in the liver cells, which in turn provide the cells and tissues with energy.
Guidelines for practicing intermittent fasting while maintaining low cholesterol :
Have the required amount of food and calories
By limiting the time during which you consume food, IF promotes weight reduction by causing a change in your metabolism that can help you lose weight while also enhancing your health. However, you must consume enough food to maintain everyday functioning and adhere, on average, to your own recommended intake during the feeding period. If not, you risk losing muscle mass quickly in an unhealthy manner while developing inadequacies.
Consume a variety of foods
Ensuring you get all the necessary vitamins and nutrients to maintain your body’s functioning is crucial. Eating various meals that meet your dietary needs for amino acids, lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates, including fiber, is one way to achieve this.
What to eat includes:
- fruits, vegetables, and legumes
- whole grains
- Unsaturated fats, including olive oil, almonds, and avocado
Foods to avoid:
- foods rich in cholesterol or saturated fat
- simple carbohydrates or sugar-rich foods and beverages
- Trans fat
- high levels of processing
Within a few days of beginning this diet, you should start to see some improvements. You must, however, adhere to your selected plan and keep it up for an extended period.
What do the studies reveal?
Most studies examining the relationship between IF and cholesterol levels produce favorable findings. On average, they report decreases in triglycerides between 16 and 42%, LDL between 7 and 32%, and total cholesterol between 6-21%.
How much weight reduction affects the outcomes is a question that many academics are trying to answer.
The majority of studies done thus far have focused on overweight or obese people. However, one study issued in the Nutrition Journal over 12 weeks looked at the effects of fasting on alternate days for both regular and obese people with BMIs between 20 and 30.
On the days they were required to fast, individuals within the ADF group received 25% of their usual energy intake; however, on the days they were not required to fast, they were free to eat as usual. The control group consumed their typical daily energy intake. Compared to the control, they employed the ADF plan and discovered a median weight loss of 5 kg.
Additionally, they discovered a statistically significant 20% drop in triglycerides but no change in total cholesterol, LDL, or HDL levels.
Wrapping up…
An eating plan called intermittent fasting limits how many calories you can ingest daily. While there are no constraints on what you can eat throughout the eating phase, it is recommended that you maintain a balanced diet that includes a range of foods.
It has been discovered that IF offers many health advantages, including favorable effects on your lipid composition, such as lowering levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. The body starts to burn fat because IF switches our primary energy source to ketones from glucose, which can result in significant weight loss. This may help with dyslipidemia prevention or treatment.
Be sure to conduct your homework and consult your doctor because IF has many advantages but may need specific guidance. Also, feel free to review other articles in our blog section.
