I’ve been practicing 16/8 if for a few months now but only doing it three times a week. My question is, is this enough for health and longevity? Do I need to be doing it 7 days a week or increase the fasting hours? I can’t seem to find a definitive answer on Google.
Is it enough to make a difference? Yes
Is it enough to help resolve X or Y? probably not.
If you have a specific goal in mind fasting can help.
Would it be beneficial to do a longer fast? Yes
If you want to optimize the 16/8 then yes I would do it daily
If you want autophagy or ketosis? Id recommend doing longer fasts.
I did a deep dive into fasting and IF for health. There is so much confusing information and information that is outright unsubstantiated or contradictory. The issue is that so many people are fasting for weight loss, and I wanted to eat for health.Ultimately, I read the book and then binge watched every interview with Valter Longo. The Longevity Diet is incredibly well researched. It is an “every day” diet for optimal health and prevention of diabetes, obesity, hyper tension,cancer, etc.
The fasting part is twofold. The Longevity Diet advocates a 12-hour feeding window. Dr Longo explains why, as well as how longer fasting windows don’t hold up in supporting health, long term. They are great for a few months, but your risk of gallstones rises substantially.
ThenThe Fasting Mimicking Diet was created because they knew 5 day fasts were phenomenally beneficial in cellular repair (autophagy) for sick and healthy people alike. However, few people signed up for trials, and the oncologists did not support their patients trying 5 day water fasts. It is, in general, quite difficult to do. So, the FMD was created as an all-in-one package of food for 5 days. The calories and the macros are balanced to make the body believe you have entered winter (like in the old days in human history/evolution) and you need to conserve by burning the old junk in the body first. (And that includes stored body fat as fuel). The amount of research that went into this is astounding. It is fully backed by science and countless trials.This is a much gentler way to enter into autophagy. It is recommended to be used in cycles, depending on your state of health. Some might do one a month for 3 months, then only every 3 months. It all depends on what you are dealing with in your health. They strongly suggest you work with a doctor or nutritionist if you have health issues.
The convenience of the package is that it’s all done for you. No thinking is needed and very little prep. However, you can find the exact macros and calories online and create your own menu for the 5 days (6th day is refeeding and has some suggestions which extend the benefits longer). Personally, I prefer the latter because it’s all fresh foods, home made.
Dr. Longo receives no profit from the company and all of his shares (he founded it), and all of his profits from his book sale go back to research. It is his belief that nutrition forms the basis of health and works best in unison with medicine. I mentioned this because I often see people criticizing the company as a for-profit gimmick. In reality, it is information meant to benefit anyone who wants to take their health seriously but have it be attainable without quitting.
It took me a lot of books and youtube interviews with various doctors and experts to finally find the health approach that seemed to take into account the greatest factors. This book focuses on our body’s natural ability to repair and maintain health.
I’d argue that 16/8 is barely IF. Have you tried to work up to 22/2? Or is that too crazy. How about an extended fast. Have you tried a 24 or 48+ water fast? Autophagy kicks in between 24 and 48 but varies. And autophagy seems to be one of the most beneficial parts of fasting. But I think the time saved is the best part of fasting. Not having to stop to eat frees up so much time for you. It’s like a minor super power.
How is your diet out of fasting? Do you feel good most days? Are you exercising?
You dont necessarily need to increase anything in order to be healthier, you could be doing everything right right now.(Btw the answer is linger fasts)