Does Intermittent Fasting Actually Work?

 To begin with, what is intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting is when one eats all the calories he or she needs in a day (on average 2000) in a small number of meals (typically 1-2) while only breaking the fast after 12+ hours of not eating. The logic behind this is that we will eventually exhaust our glucose stores and start burning fat for fuel also known as metabolic switching. Some benefits that come from intermittent fasting are increased insulin sensitivity (which aids in bringing down blood sugar down to normal levels), thinking, memory, and tissue health. Intermittent fasting has also been shown to help with increasing HGH secretion in the body. However, this effect would only be temporary as levels would go back down to normal once the fast ends. 

The major problem of this diet model is that, for some people, they cannot go an extended period of time without eating and require meals every 2-4 hours and prefer many smaller meals with a smaller amount of time between each meal. Intermittent fasting really depends on the person: if someone likes to get all their calories in larger meals in a set timeframe, intermittent fasting could be a possible option. However, if one prefers to get their calories over a longer period of time without a lot of time between meals, intermittent fasting may be unsustainable.