Intermittent Fasting and Keto are the most in-demand health strategies. People focused on their health often use these approaches to slim down and manage particular health issues.
While both have credible evidence to support their claimed advantages, many are still determining whether combining the two is secure and productive.
This article discusses the keto diet and intermittent fasting and whether combining the two is a good idea.
What is the keto diet?
The keto diet emphasizes the intake of plenty of fat and limited carbohydrates. Daily carbs range from 20 to 50 grams, causing the body to rely on fat for fuel instead of glucose.
Your body converts fats into ketones, an alternative fuel source, during the metabolic state known as ketosis.
While this diet is an excellent method to lose weight, it also provides several additional advantages.
The ketogenic diet shows promise for various neurological illnesses and has been used to treat epilepsy for over a century.
For instance, the ketogenic diet may help those with Alzheimer’s disease with mental symptoms.
Moreover, it might lower triglyceride levels, blood sugar, insulin resistance, and other heart disease risk factors.
SUMMARY
An extremely low-carb, high-fat diet called the ketogenic diet had been linked to possible health advantages, including weight reduction and better blood sugar regulation.
What is intermittent fasting?
An eating strategy known as intermittent fasting alternates between calorie restriction, fasting, and regular meal plan intake throughout a set length of time.
Intermittent fasting, which includes popular diets such as the 5:2 diet and the Warrior Diet, comprises many different types of fasting plans.
The 16/8 technique of intermittent fasting, which entails eating for eight hours before 16 hours of fasting, is the most well-known.
The primary goal of intermittent fasting is weight loss.
Studies revealed that there might be several more health benefits as well.
For instance, it has been shown that intermittent fasting improves blood sugar regulation, decreases inflammation, and improves cognitive function.
SUMMARY
Rotating between fasting and regular eating is referred to as intermittent fasting. The 5:2 and 16/8 approaches are two of the most used ones.
How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?
During intermittent fasting, you schedule particular periods when you won’t eat. Intermittent fasting, sometimes known as IF, may be done in various ways.
Some people, for example, may follow the well-known 5:2 IF, which calls for five days of regular eating and two days of fasting with a low-calorie intake (about 500). However, various diets require different amounts of time for eating and fasting. Some involve eating for 8 hours and fasting for 16, while others include fasting for 24 hours.
A study has been conducted in which scientists are exploring the potential role of IF in managing obesity and insulin resistance, a characteristic of type 2 diabetes. Nonetheless, the review’s authors concluded that there needs to be more high-quality research about IF’s impact on health, and it still needs to be made apparent which IF type is the best to adhere to.
Moreover, IF is equally successful as conventional calorie restriction as a weight-loss strategy. A randomized experiment found that intermittent fasting and calorie restriction were similarly effective for treating obesity-related weight loss, body fat reduction, and improving metabolic risk factors after one year. Although the calorie-restricted group received the same amount of calories with no time restriction, the IF group ingested 1,200 to 1,800 calories between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. What is the takeaway? There are several methods for losing weight, and selecting one that meets your tastes and eating habits — which may or may not be IF — is critical to achieving long-term weight reduction.
One significant drawback is that many IF trials (for weight reduction or otherwise) have been conducted in animals rather than people or have been conducted for a short period.
Potential benefits of practicing both
Following a ketogenic diet while also fasting may have the following advantages.
May facilitate the transition to ketosis
Your body may enter ketosis more quickly with intermittent fasting than with the keto diet alone.
This is because fasting causes your body to switch from using carbohydrates to using fats as fuel, which is precisely how the keto diet works.
Glycogen and insulin levels drop when you’re fasting, which triggers your body to burn fat for fuel.
If you struggle to enter ketosis when following a ketogenic diet, adding intermittent fasting may help you get there faster.
May cause further fat loss
You might burn more fat than you would if you followed the diet.
Your body may begin using refractory fat reserves because intermittent fasting increases metabolism by encouraging thermogenesis or the creation of heat.
According to research, intermittent fasting may effectively and safely reduce extra body fat.
The 16/8 intermittent fasting strategy caused participants in an eight-week trial of 34 resistance-trained men to lose about 14% more body fat than those who followed a regular eating schedule.
According to this, a study of 28 research found that intermittent fasting users shed an additional 7.3 pounds (3.3 kg) of fat mass on average compared to those who followed highly low-calorie diets.
Moreover, intermittent fasting may help maintain muscle mass throughout weight reduction and increase energy. It may benefit those following a ketogenic diet who want to enhance sports performance and lose body fat.
Moreover, research shows that intermittent fasting might lessen cravings and increase feelings of satiety, which may support weight reduction.
SUMMARY
You could lose more body fat and enter ketosis more quickly if you combine intermittent fasting with a ketogenic diet.
Why Mixing Keto with Intermittent Fasting Is Popular for Weight Loss
Keto and IF may help reduce weight in the short term, but each diet is restricted, so they aren’t for everyone. But what if you combined them? Could two be better than one?
First, some experts believe that pairing the two techniques makes sense. The body produces more ketones while it is on a ketogenic diet, and it also creates more ketones when fasting. While in nutritional ketosis, the brain will need less glucose for energy. Hence, after consuming low-carb or ketogenic foods for a few weeks, the shift into a fasting (ketogenic) state ultimately becomes smooth, according to Dominic D’Agostino, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa and creator of KetoNutrition.org.
The Functional Ketogenics Program at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio offers patients advice on this approach. Intermittent fasting may advance things, according to functional medicine specialist Logan Kwasnicka, a former employee of the Cleveland Clinic. While individuals may consume fewer calories when using IF, that next stage may include breaking through a weight reduction plateau. For individuals who can feel satiated after consuming a high-fat diet and are comfortable with a more limited period in which to eat, transitioning to a ketogenic diet could be the next rational step. Additionally, ketosis has the potential to reduce hunger.
Do you want to combine them?
Utilizing the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting is likely safe for most individuals.
However, those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a history of disordered eating should abstain from intermittent fasting.
Before attempting intermittent fasting on the keto diet, anyone with specific health issues, such as diabetes or heart disease, should speak with a doctor.
It’s crucial to remember that although some individuals could benefit from combining routines, it might only be effective for some.
The keto diet may be too challenging for some individuals, or they may have adverse side effects, including overeating on non-fasting days, irritation, and weariness.
Even though it may help do so rapidly, intermittent fasting is not required to enter ketosis.
Someone wishing to enhance health by reducing carbohydrates must adhere to a healthy, well-rounded ketogenic diet.
SUMMARY
Although combining intermittent fasting with a ketogenic diet may increase their respective benefits, it’s not required to do so. One over the other may depend on your health objectives.
The Possible Health Benefits of a Keto Intermittent Fasting Diet
While there is a microscopic study on the health implications of combining IF and keto, it is evident that ketone levels rise when the two diets are used together. According to Dr. D’Agostino, this could hasten weight reduction. Yet because everyone reacts differently, he explains, this may only apply to some.
Shemek requires all clients to follow a ketogenic or IF and keto diet. She believes that the majority of her customers are overweight and prediabetic. “They can remain on an IF and keto diet quickly after seeing and feeling what eating this way accomplishes, including controlling their blood sugar levels. The success of the united strategy strengthens their dedication.
Studying low-carb IF diets for cognitive health is an intriguing area outside weight reduction. Dr. Richard Isaacson, the director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, believes that Alzheimer’s patients could potentially gain advantages from a low-carbohydrate and time-restricted intermittent fasting regimen. He explains that this could lead to calming insulin pathways, allowing the brain to take advantage of “cleaner-burning” ketone fuel.
In actuality, Dr. Isaacson observes an 8-hour feeding window followed by a 16-hour fast four or five days a week. This method, he claims, could also aid in preventing the buildup of belly fat. According to him, having an enormous belly may result in a smaller memory region in the brain. In addition, evidence shows that having more visceral (belly) fat increases the chance of developing chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
The conclusion
You may enter ketosis more quickly if you combine the keto diet with intermittent fasting than if you follow the keto diet. Moreover, more fat may be lost as a consequence.
Although this approach could be practical for some, combining the two is optional, and others should avoid it.
You can try different approaches to find which one—or a mix of techniques—works best for you. But, like any significant lifestyle change, discussing it with your healthcare professional is advised first.
