It’s not just about WHAT you eat, it’s about WHEN you eat! -

The idea of fasting has been around for eons. Many societies around the world practice some sort of fasting for either cultural or religious beliefs. But more recently, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that fasting can be protective against aging and excess weight issues.

But before we get too into the weeds, let’s take a moment to review some potential contraindications. While intermittent fasting has many proven benefits, it’s still controversial. There is a potential danger in regards to medications. Discuss any changes in medication and relevant lifestyle changes with your doctor. People who should NOT fast include those who are underweight or have eating disorders like anorexia, type 1 diabetes, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and people under the age of 18. See more Contraindications & Disclaimer at end…

Biological Factors

While different types of intermittent fasting has gained popularity over the past several years, time-restricted eating seems to be the easiest and advantageous.

Specifically, the term time-restricted eating, coined by Dr. Satchin Panda at the Salk Institute, is a form of intermittent fasting but based on the theory of circadian biology, the study of the day-night cycles that drive activities of the human body, using genomic, and biochemical approaches.

It is the concept of eating during daylight hours, as it’s based on several biological factors. For one, your liver metabolizes glucose in the daytime, is strongest during the morning and weakens during the evening. Also research shows that light is the primary signal that guides the schedule of the circadian cycles. So our circadian clock begins to release melatonin as we respond to the sun setting and becoming dark.

That’s why blue light blocking glasses have become increasingly popular. Blue light, a wavelength of light emitted from either sunlight or electronic sources, suppresses melatonin, resetting the circadian clock and switching on the activity of hundreds of genes – a signal for waking up. So dimming lights and curbing use of electronic devices in the evening allows melatonin to rise naturally so we can sleep better. (More to come on the importance of sleep and brain health!).

What’s interesting is melatonin is also known to suppress insulin secretion from your pancreas. Research shows that melatonin puts the pancreas to sleep, much like it puts the brain to sleep. So cells are much more sensitive to insulin during the day than at night. That’s why eating late into the night or immediately upon waking (before nightly melatonin levels have subsided) may impact blood glucose levels, contributing to type 2 diabetes.

Fasting Increases Healthspan via Autophagy

Many people aren’t fully aware of just how much time they actually spend eating. This practice doesn’t give your body sufficient time to fully digest, repair, and rejuvenate. It’s important to give our body a break to recycle and reset. Because eating, digesting, and metabolizing food generates reactive molecules that can damage cellular components, including DNA. And over time, cells accumulate damaged and dysfunctional components leading to a buildup of cellular debris which can permanently alter gene structure, cellular structure, and cellular function.

Autophagy is your cell’s self-cleaning process that gets activated under conditions like fasting or nutrient depletion followed by energy deprivation (by AMPK). It’s how your body clears out those old, damaged cells, damaged mitochondria, and misfolded proteins in order to regenerate newer healthier cells. Autophagy promotes cell survival which promotes better healthspan. Conversely, studies show that chronic inhibition of autophagy actually accelerates the rate of aging.

(If you’d like more info about energy pathways for healthspan and longevity, check out my article at link: https://genecrush.ck.page/741f4f4149 )

How to tips…

A time-restricted eating lifestyle is not difficult to incorporate since 7-8 hours of the fast are done while you are sleeping. This gives you an eating window of 8 hours while fasting for the remainder.

Fundamentally the body holds onto fat for about 12 hours. So doing a 14-16 hour fast allows the body up to 4 hours in which to mobilize fat and detoxify the liver. By giving the digestive system a break, that same energy can be used to clear out toxins and fat cells.

I recommend starting off at the lower range and building your way up slowly to 14-16 hours. This type of intermittent fasting is also referred to the 16/8 diet. Basically just start by adding 30 min or 1 hour to your usual overnight fast. Stop eating earlier and earlier a bit at a time (and no sneak-snacking😉). Also it’s best to stop eating 3 hours before bedtime. So if you sleep at 11pm, you’d ideally stop eating by 8pm and not eat breakfast until 9am or after. Then work up from there to a 16/8 diet or as desired. You can start off a couple of days a week, and alternate days etc.

Here’s an example schedule of what a time-restricted diet might look in practice:

Breakfast at 9 a.m.
Lunch at noon
Snack at 2:30p.m. (Optional and only if needed)
End Dinner by 6 p.m.
Fast until breakfast the next day.
- PRO TIP: Stay hydrated → When you’re fasting, water is your best friend. Not only will it keep you hydrated, it also staves off hunger pangs, and is one of the few things you can consume while fasting. Other choices are plain coffee, teas, sparkling water, lime water. All other forms of nourishment should be eliminated during this time..

Now, this regimen doesn’t mean you should have a free for all during your feasting hours. Some basic nutrition concepts still apply. This means eating a balanced diet that includes plenty of vegetables, moderate proteins, fruits, and healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocados and fish. But your ideal choices would largely depend on your unique genomic sequence, revealed via genomic testing and analysis.

Genomic Matching Diet

While time-restricted eating can be very helpful, a genomic diet tailored to your unique needs is the most beneficial. Through DNA testing, we can help identify unhealthy patterns and imbalances of your unique metabolism and use nutrients to enhance your metabolic pathways.

If you’re interested in more tips and tricks related to intermittent fasting, or discovering your unique genomic StoryMap please feel free to contact me.

I provide a personalized wellness plan that includes an array of genomic reports with analysis and recommendations for individualized diet, supplements, and lifestyle strategies that impact energy, focus, performance, metabolism, inflammation, mood and overall wellbeing.

Disclaimer: While intermittent fasting has many proven benefits, it’s still controversial. There is a potential danger in regards to medications, especially for diabetes, where doses often need to be adapted. Discuss any changes in medication and relevant lifestyle changes with your doctor.

Contraindications for Fasting

Everyone should talk with their doctor before doing any sort of long-term fast, but those at greater risk of any type of fasting include people: