A nutritionist warned against relying on intermittent fasting as a suitable method for everyone to lose weight, stressing that it may help some people lose fat, but it may cause health problems for others.
Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular diets in recent years, as it involves abstaining from food for long and regular periods, while setting specific times for meals during the day.
One of the most famous ways to implement it is the 16/8 system, which is based on fasting for 16 hours a day, in exchange for eating during only 8 hours, such as eating meals between 12 noon and 8 pm, or from 8 am to 4 pm.
Many people resort to this system with the aim of reducing their daily calorie intake, either to maintain their weight or to help lose it.
In this context, Abby Coleman, a sports nutritionist at The Edge Human Performance Lab, explained that intermittent fasting is a time-restricted eating pattern that relies on alternating periods of eating and fasting, noting that the focus is often on the timing of eating rather than the type of food itself.
She said that this system may help some people reduce their total calorie intake, which contributes to weight and fat loss, explaining that the lower insulin levels during fasting make the body more able to use fat stores as an energy source.
Despite these potential benefits, the expert stressed that intermittent fasting is not suitable for everyone, especially for people whose jobs require a lot of physical effort or who exercise regularly, because they need to eat constantly to meet their high energy needs.
It also warned of some potential side effects, such as hunger, mood swings, irritability, poor athletic performance and reduced training efficiency, in addition to an increased likelihood of injuries.
She stressed that professional athletes, diabetics, people with a history of eating disorders, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women, should avoid intermittent fasting or prolonged fasting patterns to protect their health.
