Journal of Women's Health Care
Open Access
ISSN: 2167-0420
ISSN: 2167-0420
Opinion - (2024)Volume 13, Issue 6
Being overweight or obese is a global concern with at least 2.8 million people dying annually contributing to 2.3 % of global disability-adjusted life years [1]. According to NFHS-5, 24 % of women are obese having BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2) and 56.7% women have high risk waist to hip ratio resulting in various metabolic diseases [2]. Decreased calorie intake has been an essential factor for body weight reduction and as a behaviour intervention to lose weight, intermittent fasting (IF) is becoming popular strategy for healthy lifestyle among young women. Intermittent fasting is a dietary pattern that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule demanding severely restricted calorie intake; primarily Time-Restricted Fasting and Intermittent Energy Restriction. Evidence suggests that medically monitored intermittent fasting regime for 7–21 days is efficient in prevention and treatment of chronic pain, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. Naturopathy too exploits fasting as the first-line of treatment in management of diseases [3]. The science of Ayurveda also outlines fasting as “upavasa” and has claimed cleansing of sense organs, efficient functioning of digestive system and reduced acute and chronic symptoms associated with health illnesses [4]. IF is also responsible for inducing a long-term effect—“metabolic adaptation”, which has the ability to reduce the metabolic rate and prolong human lifespan [5].
During reproductive life cycle of woman, they encounter heterogeneous health issue extending from nutritional insufficiencies to various types of cancers. Although many programs are in place focussed on improving women’s health, intermittent fasting is a void whose role in enhancing women health needs to be assessed.
Relation between spiritual practice and fasting
Intermittent fasting is commonly practiced as a regimen for religious and traditional customs, in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Many religious communities integrate fasting into their spiritual rites by fasting on specified weekdays or months [6]. Fasting during Ramadan is a monthlong practise performed by Muslim communities throughout the day from sunrise to sunset. The positive result of Ramadan fasting was observed in a study which showed controlled blood glucose levels and reduced stress hormones in women with PCOS [7].
During Navratri festival in India, people fast for nine days continuously on different patterns. The positive effect of calorie restriction during fasting days was established by an exploratory study on fifty healthy adults fasting for a period of 12 hours. Research showed significant reduction in LDL, total cholesterol, waist circumference, hip circumference and body weight during the intermittent fasting period [8]. According to recent study conducted, Christian Orthodox Fasting may have a positive effect on metabolism lowering lipid concentrations as highlighted by research following a reduced-calorie, 16/8 time restricted window [9].
Intermittent fasting regimens for Calorie Restriction
In comparison with traditional means of losing weight by energy intake restriction, intermittent fasting focusses on specific time period and calorie intake. It is quite evident from several studies that without sufficient energy or food, the body utilizes its stored sugar stores by burning fat known as metabolic switching.
This fasting regime has two major forms: Intermittent Energy Restriction (IER) [10] and Time-Restricted Fasting (TRF) [11, 12]. With this regimen subjects experience lowered metabolic responses, such as the compensatory reduction of “resting energy expenditure [13] Figure 1.
Figure 1. Resting energy expenditure.
Correlation between IF and women health
Intermittent fasting contributes to significant reductions of risk factors alleviating the health issues. Some evidence-based studies depicting the positive co-relation between intermittent Table 1.
| Disease | Research Study Details | Fasting Intervention | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Study Type: Intervention Study. Methodology: 13 non-metastatic breast cancer patients were recruited. Body composition was measured weekly by bioimpedance analysis [14]. |
5:2 Fasting Regime was followed which completely abstain from food on two non-consecutive days (minimum 24 h) per week during radiotherapy. | • The fasting group experienced an average decrease of body mass (p < 0.0001), fat mass and muscle mass. • This regime was feasible as a treatment of breast cancer patients undergoing Radiotherapy. |
| Obesity & Diabetes | Method: 12 obese volunteers in the age group of 20–60 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited. The study was conducted at a tertiary health care facility in Amritsar [15]. |
Fasting regime of 16:8 for a period of 4 weeks was given. | • Highly significant decrease in the mean body weight as (P < 0.001). BMI, waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio was observed. The mean fasting blood glucose levels improved significantly. • There is a favorable effect of intermittent fasting on anthropometric indices and fasting blood sugar levels |
| PCOS | Methods: 18 PCOS women aged (18-31 years) with anovulation participated in a 6-week trial [16]. | Time-restricted feeding (TRF) (16:8) | • Significant changes in body weight, BMI, were found after the TRF period. • An improvement in menstrual cycle irregularity was detected in 73.3% patients. |
| Cardiovascular Health | Study Type: Comparative study. Sample Size: N=107 overweight or obese, premenopausal women observed over a period of 6 months [17]. Method: Randomized comparison of a 25% energy restriction as IER (~ 2710 kJ/day for 2 days/week) or CER (~ 6276 kJ/day for 7 days/week) |
IER (~2710 kJ/day for 2 days/week) | • IER and CER are equally effective for weight loss: Mean weight change for IER was -6.4 (-7.9 to -4.8) kg vs -5.6 (-6.9 to -4.4) kg for CER. • Both groups experienced comparable reductions in leptin, total and LDL cholesterol,triglyceride, bloodpressure. • Reductions in fasting insulin were greater with IER than with CER. |
Table 1: Correlation between IF and women healthn
Risks and Challenges Posed while Practising IF
Although the evidence-based research favours therapeutic efficacy of IF, it is rarely used in the modern era as an intervention tool. The risks and challenges of the IF should also be assessed, with all the positive results being offered.
The change, gain or loss of appetite may be a concern which has to be dealt with during or after intervention. Primarily, Hunger is the main side effect due to which one may be lethargic and dizzy. Sleep deprivation and weakend immune system is another risk factor which is known to impair cognitive and intellectual function and responsible for causing mood swings among women. In addition, safety and tolerability is another area of concern which needs to be taken into account [18].
Do’s and Don’ts
Intermitting fasting can aid in managing body weight to address acute and chronic conditions like diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, high cholesterol and arthritis. However, intermittent fasting is not for everyone. Intermittent fasting can have varied effects on different people, so it necessitates physician consultation on experiencing unusual anxiety, headaches, nausea or other symptoms. Children below 18 years, pregnant and lactating women are advised to steer clear of trying intermittent fasting. It’s been saying that, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to nutrition Table 2.
| Do’s | Don’t’ |
|---|---|
| Stay hydrated by drinking non-caloric beverages | It is recommended to not overeat during eating window and binge eating or constant snacking needs to be avoided. |
| Well balanced nutritious diet must be ensured | While practising regime, avoid alcoholic and caffeinated beverages. |
| Include all the food groups in your diet | Avoid junk , processed and sugary foods |
| Start the intermittent fasting slowly with less restrictive schedule and gradually increase the fasting period depending on the body adaptability | It is advised not to be impatient for seeing the difference in body weight |
| Exercise and keep the body relaxed |
Table 2: Do’s and Don’ts
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Citation: Jain R, Srivastava R, Khanna P (2024). Exploring the Association between Intermittent Fasting and Women's Health. J Women's Health Care. 13(6):730.
Received: 22-May-2024, Manuscript No. 31637; Editor assigned: 24-May-2024, Pre QC No. 31637; Reviewed: 05-Jun-2024, QC No. 31637; Revised: 19-Jun-2024, Manuscript No. 31637; Published: 24-Jun-2024 , DOI: 10.35248/2167-0420.24.13. 730
Copyright: © 2024 Jain R, Srivastava R, Khanna P. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited