What Is 16/8 Intermittent Fasting?

What is 16/8 intermittent fasting? This type of fasting involves limiting your intake of food, calories, and beverages to 8 hours per day. And then not eating any food for 16 hours but you are allowed to drink water and other 0 calorie beverages like coffee and tea. Then repeat this cycle for a certain frequency period that you have set out for yourself for this 16/8 intermittent fasting timeframe.

What is 16/8 intermittent fasting? iStock- photo credit: Elif Bayraktar

Some popular 16/8-time windows are:

• 9am to 5pm
• 12pm to 8pm
• 2pm to 10 pm
• 7am to 3pm

A lot of people like to eat between 12 and 8pm so they can start fasting at night and in the morning time. Because that timeframe seems to be a much easier one to do. One of the benefits of 16/8 intermittent fasting is the ability to save time and money each week on buying and cooking food.

There is a research study that has shown that cutting your calorie intake over a certain narrow time frame may lead to weight loss.  About 11 of 13 review studies showed that intermittent fasting showed significant weight loss among subjects.

Other research studies have shown that intermittent fasting can reduce insulin and blood sugar levels. And the result is its ability to decrease the risk of diabetes. There are animal studies that have shown that intermittent fasting can extend longevity, but it is important to know that the studies in humans are limited.

Intermittent fasting isn’t for everybody, and some people cannot just restrict their eating for just an 8-hour period. There are some people that if they try intermittent fasting over a period, they overeat which would lead to unnecessary weight gain.

One of the alternative ways to weight loss if you don’t want to do intermittent fasting is lower your calorie intake, exercise more and consume more high fiber whole foods. Also, most research studies show that intermittent fasting doesn’t make you lose any more weight than other conventional diets.

The Bottom Line is the 16/8 intermittent fasting is a unique way to lose and manage weight. And studies have shown that people have significant weight loss eating this way. But studies have also shown that eating like this can lead to overeating. So intermittent fasting isn’t for everybody and the only way to know if it works or doesn’t work for you is to test and try it out.

If you have any interest in trying any of our Ethical Supplement products to help you heighten your immune system or assist you with your fitness, weight loss or health goals. You can get a discount below at this link.

https://offer.ethicalinc.com/suppressant-offer/ ?utm_source=blog 

About Author- Obi Obadike

About – Ethical Inc

Sharecare Names Top 10 Fittest Cities in America – Sharecare

References

1. Patterson RE, Laughlin GA, LaCroix AZ, Hartman SJ, Natarajan L, Senger CM, Martínez ME, Villaseñor A, Sears DD, Marinac CR, Gallo LC. Intermittent Fasting and Human Metabolic Health. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015 Aug;115(8):1203-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2015.02.018. Epub 2015 Apr 6. PMID: 25857868; PMCID: PMC4516560.
2. Rynders CA, Thomas EA, Zaman A, Pan Z, Catenacci VA, Melanson EL. Effectiveness of Intermittent Fasting and Time-Restricted Feeding Compared to Continuous Energy Restriction for Weight Loss. Nutrients. 2019 Oct 14;11(10):2442. doi: 10.3390/nu11102442. PMID: 31614992; PMCID: PMC6836017.
3. Hwangbo DS, Lee HY, Abozaid LS, Min KJ. Mechanisms of Lifespan Regulation by Calorie Restriction and Intermittent Fasting in Model Organisms. Nutrients. 2020 Apr 24;12(4):1194. doi: 10.3390/nu12041194. PMID: 32344591; PMCID: PMC7230387.
4. Mitchell SJ, Bernier M, Mattison JA, Aon MA, Kaiser TA, Anson RM, Ikeno Y, Anderson RM, Ingram DK, de Cabo R. Daily Fasting Improves Health and Survival in Male Mice Independent of Diet Composition and Calories. Cell Metab. 2019 Jan 8;29(1):221-228.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.08.011. Epub 2018 Sep 6. PMID: 30197301; PMCID: PMC6326845.
5. Albosta M, Bakke J. Intermittent fasting: is there a role in the treatment of diabetes? A review of the literature and guide for primary care physicians. Clin Diabetes Endocrinol. 2021 Feb 3;7(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s40842-020-00116-1. PMID: 33531076; PMCID: PMC7856758.
6. Arnason TG, Bowen MW, Mansell KD. Effects of intermittent fasting on health markers in those with type 2 diabetes: A pilot study. World J Diabetes. 2017 Apr 15;8(4):154-164. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v8.i4.154. PMID: 28465792; PMCID: PMC5394735.
7. Byrne NM, Sainsbury A, King NA, Hills AP, Wood RE. Intermittent energy restriction improves weight loss efficiency in obese men: the MATADOR study. Int J Obes (Lond). 2018 Feb;42(2):129-138. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2017.206. Epub 2017 Aug 17. PMID: 28925405; PMCID: PMC5803575.
8. Patterson RE, Laughlin GA, LaCroix AZ, Hartman SJ, Natarajan L, Senger CM, Martínez ME, Villaseñor A, Sears DD, Marinac CR, Gallo LC. Intermittent Fasting and Human Metabolic Health. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015 Aug;115(8):1203-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2015.02.018. Epub 2015 Apr 6. PMID: 25857868; PMCID: PMC4516560.
9. Schübel R, Nattenmüller J, Sookthai D, Nonnenmacher T, Graf ME, Riedl L, Schlett CL, von Stackelberg O, Johnson T, Nabers D, Kirsten R, Kratz M, Kauczor HU, Ulrich CM, Kaaks R, Kühn T. Effects of intermittent and continuous calorie restriction on body weight and metabolism over 50 wk: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018 Nov 1;108(5):933-945. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqy196. PMID: 30475957; PMCID: PMC6915821.