Myth-busting Monday #2

I was hoping I wouldn't have to address this topic at all as it is so outdated and been proven conclusively false so many times but I came across 2 separate quotes this week- 1 from Men's Health Magazine and another from The Sun newspaper in a review of the new OMG fad diet so I thought I would put the myth to bed for anyone that still believes it. I think either the Sun 'Doctor' Carol Cooper may have either fallen asleep in her biochemistry lessons or it is possible that she got her PHD a decade or so ago when they were actually still teaching this nonsense.

'Fasting causes the body to go into starvation mode'

Fasting= extended periods of consuming zero calories.

As Dr Cooper likes to call it 'famine' mode. She also uses the word tummy...and also starts a new paragraph with...BUT...(soo not sure if she is a real doctor?!)

What ACTUALLY happens: During periods of non-eating, the body starts burning glycogen for a fuel source. Once all the glycogen stores are used up (which will usually take about 2-3 days! Unless you are doing long periods of intense exercise) the body starts using ketones and fatty acids as a fuel. After a while longer, muscle tissue is used. The timeline looks like this:

0 hours: Glucose still used as primary fuel.
0-6 hours: Glycogen is broken down to produce glucose for the body.
6-72 hours: Glycogen stores are used up and the body breaks down fatty acids. Ketone bodies are produced to help feed the brain.
72 hours and on: Body cells start to break down and proteins are used as a precursor to glucose.

You often hear that fasting slows down the metabolism but I have 2 studies that show that this is not the case. Ref 1 shows no difference in adipose tissue, fat loss or muscle loss in a high meal frequency compared with a low meal frequency. Ref 2 shows that the thermic effect of food does not change whether you nibble on food throughout the day or eat one huge meal. It comes back to the energy balance equation- if the calories are the same, there will be no change in body composition. Ref 4 shows less muscle tissue was lost on an intermittent fasting type calorie restriction and more fat was lost in comparison to a standard straight calorie restricted diet. Could intermittent fasting help PREVENT muscle loss?

I have been doing intermittent fasting every single day for over a year now and have never felt better. See www.leangains.com for more information. On a side note for anyone stupid enough that might believe Dr Cooper's last point about intermittent fasting increasing cholesterol, this study shows decreased cholesterol levels in alternate day intermittent fasting and I could find 10 more that show the same if you want the evidence but I'm sure you won't be taking this doctors advice seriously anymore.

References

1) Br J Nutr. 2010 Apr;103(8):1098-101. Epub 2009 Nov 30.Increased meal frequency does not promote greater weight loss in subjects who were prescribed an 8-week equi-energetic energy-restricted diet.

2) Br J Nutr. 1997 Apr;77 Suppl 1:S57-70.Meal frequency and energy balance.
3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation_response
4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21410865?dopt=Abstract

"forgive them, for they know not what they do": Luke 23:34