How Intermittent Fasting Works: 3 Major Problems In Fasting | Dr. Fong Ka Leuk

February 8, 2022
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People are getting more concerned about their health and are willing to change their way of living as the pandemic acts like a sharp warning. Exercising is certainly a great way to stay healthy but the anti-epidemic measures have set many limitations on outdoor activities. That explains why intermittent fasting is getting more attention and people are attempting it to lose weight.

Intermittent Fasting is a time-restricted diet that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule which refrain you from consuming any calories for an extended period of time and allow fat burning. Common ways of implementing intermittent fasting are 16:8 diet and 5:2 diet.

16:8 diet limits your intake of foods and calorie-containing beverages to a set window of 8 hours per day and abstains you from food for the remaining 16 hours. 5:2 diet is a weight-loss diet in which five days of the week are normal eating days, while the other two restrict calories to a very low level.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong has conducted studies and found that about ¼ of the population in Hong Kong are diagnosed with fatty liver disease (hepatic steatosis). The disease can be subtyped into “alcohol-related fatty liver disease (ALD)” and the most common “non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)”. NASH is usually caused by excessive intake of calories, sugar, or refined carbohydrates (such as noodles, rice, breads) and seduces your body to secrete insulin that is more than enough. The insulin transforms the sugar and starch from the food you have eaten into fat and stores in the liver. Severe fatty liver disease may cause other complications such as cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure etc. In a clinical research of 264 fatty liver patients, they conducted a combination of intermittent fasting and fatty liver treatments for 12 weeks. They found that intermittent fasting helps lose weight and it allows better weight control for fatty liver patients.

早年有學者找了264位脂肪肝病人，做了一個維持12星期的間歇性斷食法與脂肪肝療程的臨床醫學研究，發現間歇性斷食法可以減掉體脂，從而幫助脂肪肝病人減重消脂。

Both starving and overfeeding burdens your stomach. Overfeeding is a cause for indigestion and bowel discomfort. However, if you starve yourself for too long, the stomach acid may erode your stomach, and persistent condition will cause peptic ulcer.

There can be some intestinal discomforts and digestion conditions when you first begin intermittent fasting, such as constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, and bloating. For those who have never tried intermittent fasting or have intestinal conditions, it is recommended to consult your doctor to see if intermittent fasting is suitable for you.

Intermittent fasting serves as a way for weight-control, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) alleviation, and cholesterol reduction for different people. It is a great way to reduce fat and calories intake if you have the conditions of being overweight or fatty liver disease.

But good things take time, it is recommended to set up an adaptation period to allow the body to adapt slowly and make timely adjustments according to the body condition. During intermittent fasting, you should have a balanced diet and eat less irritating, high fat food for the good of your intestines.

However, intermittent fasting is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The following four groups of people are recommended to keep an eye on their body's condition and consult their doctor before trying intermittent fasting.

People who are under 18
People who are pregnant or breastfeeding
People with diabetics or have blood sugar condition
People with intestine conditions
People with eating disorder

Dr. Fong Ka Leuk
Specialist of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
CUHK Clinical Professor (Honorary)

Source: Translated from Metro Health Plus

間歇性斷食點助減肥？拆解斷食法3大常見問題

How Intermittent Fasting Works: 3 Major Problems In Fasting | Dr. Fong Ka Leuk

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