酮饮食与间歇性禁食：初学者指南
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在生物黑客（biohacking）领域，酮能量高脂饮食（ketogenic diet）与禁食（fasting）无疑是两种最受欢迎的实践。
这两种饮食方式都具有多种健康益处，包括改善新陈代谢、减轻体重以及促进认知功能。研究表明它们各自的好处，而社交媒体上的个人故事更是提供了一些深刻的案例。
许多人选择将酮饮食与间歇性禁食结合在一起，或许你也是其中之一。这是有道理的——酮饮食和间歇性禁食在许多方面有很多共同之处。酮饮食以很多方式与间歇性禁食相似。
实际上，遵循低碳水化合物或酮饮食可能使进行间歇性禁食变得更加容易。酮饮食与间歇性禁食的协同作用可以为你的身体带来显著的好处。本文将对此进行探讨。
酮症概述
酮症是一种新陈代谢状态，其特征是血液中存在酮体。这种状态通常在体内面临低血糖和糖原储备减少的“挑战”时出现，随后会触发一系列激素信号，促使身体开始分解脂肪储备，并将脂肪酸释放入血液循环中。
释放入血液循环的脂肪酸会被运输到肝脏，并用于酮体的生成——这一过程被称为酮生成。在这个过程中，肝脏会产生一种叫作乙酰乙酸（AcAc）的酮体，其中大部分会转化为β-羟基丁酸（BHB）。
酮症的目的是什么？
大多数人都知道，我们的身体可以通过燃烧碳水化合物以及脂肪来生成能量。人类和动物的主要能量来源是葡萄糖——我们主要通过摄入食用的碳水化合物（如面包、水果、蔬菜、豆类、淀粉和糖）来获取。将碳水化合物分解为葡萄糖是维持血糖的一种方式。许多身体组织使用葡萄糖作为燃料，有些甚至无法使用其他物质（例如某些眼睛细胞和红血球）。
除了血液中的葡萄糖，我们还可以在肌肉和肝脏中储存葡萄糖，作为糖原储存——长链的葡萄糖。当血糖水平较低时，我们会利用糖原——例如在长时间运动期间。
人类也可以燃烧脂肪来获取能量，心脏等多个器官更倾向于将脂肪作为主要能源底物。
脂肪是一种优质的能量来源，因为我们的体内储存了大量脂肪！即使是最瘦的人也有足够的体脂供其使用很长一段时间。
酮症的目的是在其他能量来源（主要是葡萄糖）减少时提供燃料。这是一种（或许仍然是）生存机制，使有机体能够在食物供应低的情况下生存。为了保持能量水平高并维持认知功能，肝脏会产生酮体，作为大脑和身体的代谢燃料。
酮体与脂肪酸不同，它们可以穿过血脑屏障，将大脑与血液循环分开。这样，当葡萄糖水平低时，大脑仍然可以获得能量来源。在“饥饿”状态下，多达60%的大脑能量可能来自酮体代谢。
尽管在现代生活中酮症并不是“生存”所必需的，但这种“独特”的代谢状态可能具有一些好处。本文将特别讨论内源性酮症，因为它与间歇性禁食最为相关。
酮症的益处
通过酮饮食实现的酮症已被证实对多种临床状况具有益处。
酮饮食最初作为治疗癫痫的一种方法，而如今仍在继续使用。酮体的代谢可能对大脑有强大的好处，包括降低氧化压力、减少炎症水平以及改善参与健康和疾病过程的多种神经递质水平。
研究表明，酮饮食能够使癫痫患者的发作频率减少40%至90%。这些结果可能源于多个机制，包括增加GABA、减少谷氨酸、增加钾离子通道的活性以及减少大脑葡萄糖代谢。
其他受益于酮症的脑部疾病包括阿尔茨海默病和帕金森病。还有一些证据表明，酮症可以改善情绪、减少偏头痛、增强注意力。
除了脑部健康，酮症在治疗代谢性疾病（如2型糖尿病）方面也有效，而这种疾病以胰岛素抵抗为特征。酮饮食能降低血糖和脂质、增加体重减轻以及改善胰岛素敏感性，所有这些因素都有助于降低2型糖尿病和代谢综合症的风险或减轻其负面影响。
酮的代谢益处也可能扩展到运动员身上，因为酮症的特征是增加燃烧脂肪的能力。
多项研究提供了证据，证明酮饮食的运动员能够显著改善体组成——在减少体脂的同时增加瘦体重。
酮症可以通过内源性途径（利用运动、禁食或酮饮食）或外源性途径（使用外源性酮补充剂）实现。无论是通过何种方式诱导，许多酮症的好处是相似的。然而，有些好处是特定于内源性酮症的，特别是与体重和脂肪减少相关的。
禁食基础知识
你或许已经听说过禁食，无论是以什么方式——最近它似乎成为了媒体关注的焦点。无论是被称为“生物黑客”还是饮食失调，禁食都是一个颇具争议的话题。在一个过度饮食的世界中，不进食显得格外极端。然而，尽管存在争议，数据不会说谎。有关禁食的研究表明，这种生活方式实践可以带来多重健康益处，其中许多与酮症产生的益处相似。
这也很有道理……因为禁食会导致酮体的产生。让我们来看看这个过程如何发生的。
什么是间歇性禁食？
简单来说，间歇性禁食是指减少进餐的频率。虽然间歇性禁食有很多变体，但最常见的形式包括每周一次的24小时禁食、隔日禁食（ADF）或5:2禁食——即每周禁食2天。间歇性禁食中的“间歇”仅意味着你并不一定每天都禁食。
这就是间歇性禁食与限制时间进食（TRF）的区别。TRF是在一天中将进食时间缩短到4到10小时之间，其余时间则禁食。与间歇性禁食不同，大多数实践TRF的人通常是每天都这样做。
间歇性禁食的科学
每当我们进食时，都会触发代谢反应。如果餐食中含有碳水化合物，这种代谢反应会导致血糖（变化幅度不等）和胰岛素的增加。胰腺释放胰岛素以促进血糖进入我们的骨骼肌中。
当胰岛素释放后，会向身体发送信号，促使其将多余的能量储存为糖原或脂肪组织。主要的储存部位是肝脏和骨骼肌。除了促进能量储存的过程之外，胰岛素还抑制其他过程——特别是那些释放存储脂肪的过程。
基本上，胰岛素是一个“增长”的信号，而不是“分解”的信号——它是促生长的而非分解代谢的。
在禁食期间，由于没有食物摄入，血糖和胰岛素水平开始下降。经过一段时间后，身体将开始燃烧脂肪并产生酮体。这需要多长时间？
经过一次过夜禁食，体内的酮体浓度约在0.1-0.5mM，这意味着你将处于酮症的“阈值”以下。经过48小时的禁食，酮体浓度可达到1-2mM。经过5天的禁食，酮体水平可增加到约7-8mM。
燃烧脂肪和产生酮体是间歇性禁食的主要效果，也是解释间歇性禁食众多益处的两个机制。
间歇性禁食的益处
间歇性禁食有多个生理和心理上的优势。
第一个好处可能对那些希望减肥的人尤为明显。尽管研究并没有得出明确结论，但许多人报告称，他们发现相较于要求摄入远低于自身需要的传统饮食而言，遵循间歇性禁食的确更容易。
一些人可能发现，不进食比长期保持低于自己所需的热量摄入更容易。这可能更多是一种心理上的效果，而非生理上的。此外，间歇性禁食可能会让人更容易制定饮食计划（或不需要制定计划……如果你能理解我们的意思）。如果是禁食日，你就不需要担心准备膳食、留出用餐时间或诘问你将要吃什么。在适当的背景下，这或许能够为你在工作或爱好中腾出一些时间。
间歇性禁食在研究上仍处于起步阶段，大多数研究是针对小鼠进行的。
精干与强壮
间歇性禁食可能对身体组成有益。对于人类而言，24小时的禁食可能减轻体重，并在48小时内维持这种体重减轻（其中大部分可能只是水分损失）。不过，多次禁食循环（例如每周24小时的禁食）可能会导致长期的体重减轻，但这需要在人体中进一步探索。
在小鼠中，一种模拟禁食的饮食，每月重复两次，显著减少了这些小鼠的内脏脂肪，同时增加了神经发生、改善了认知表现并增强了免疫系统。
长寿与繁荣
在人类身上研究寿命非常困难，因此在这方面，我们关于间歇性禁食促进长寿的数据并不多。但在啮齿动物模型中，间歇性禁食的动物相比频繁进食的小鼠显示出更长的寿命和健康期。通过增加自噬、降低氧化压力以及降低胰岛素和类胰岛素生长因子1（IGF-1）水平，这些机制可能增强了寿命。
新陈代谢的提升
间歇性禁食可能改善多个方面的新陈代谢和消化健康。研究表明，间歇性禁食能降低多种心血管疾病和心脏病的风险因素，包括：血脂（胆固醇和甘油三酯）、血糖、胰岛素、血压以及炎症水平。
这些代谢益处可能源于禁食对调节我们的昼夜节律、睡眠以及肠道微生物群的影响。
定期进行周期性禁食（即间歇性禁食）的人，其糖尿病风险更低、血糖水平较低、身体质量指数（BMI）也较低。这显示禁食可能帮助预防多种代谢性疾病的发生。此外，禁食还可能逆转如2型糖尿病这样的疾病的某些方面，包括降低血糖和胰岛素水平或改善胰岛素敏感性。
脑部健康
我们已经讨论了身体的好处，那么大脑呢？这个器官也可能从间歇性禁食中受益。一个可能的好处与酮体直接相关——特别是β-羟基丁酸（BHB）。BHB是释放一种叫做脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）的激素的强效刺激物，BDNF促进新神经元的生长（称为神经发生）。
不幸的是，其他禁食带来的“心理好处”尚未得到研究。目前我们没有关于禁食如何影响认知功能、心理清晰度或专注力的研究。然而，一项包含1422名参与者的研究发现，持续4到21天的禁食期间，身体和情绪的健康状况有所改善。
间歇性禁食的变体
或许间歇性禁食最吸引人的一个方面就是它的高度可定制性。无论你是进行时间限制进食还是每周一次的禁食，你都可以根据自己的生活方式选择适合自己的禁食方式。此外，由于我们没有关于最佳禁食方案的数据，唯一重要的是你所选择的禁食方法在多大程度上为你带来了独特的好处，并与生活方式相契合。
虽然我们提到酮饮食和间歇性禁食通常是结合在一起进行的，但它们并不一定要一起实践。对一些人来说，这也是间歇性禁食的一个吸引人的好处。与其专注于吃什么，间歇性禁食只需关注何时吃。
5:2禁食
5:2禁食的名字就足以描述其内容。每周吃5天，禁食2天。听起来很简单，因为确实如此。然而，这两个禁食日必须是连续的，至少这是5:2倡导者的推荐。
在非禁食的5天中，你该如何饮食呢？一些人可能采用某种经过修改的时间限制进食方式，吃他们通常会吃的东西。其他人可能会说“没有规则”。当描述5:2禁食时，“进食日”通常被称为“自选”——这基本上意味着你可以随意饮食，但也要适度。
隔日禁食（ADF）
隔日禁食是另一种非常直观的方案。
在这种禁食方案中，你每隔一天进食一次。这意味着在每周的7天中，你会吃4天。
与5:2禁食类似，ADF的“进食”日也应为“自选”，不对食物或食量施加限制。
延长水禁食
尽管与5:2禁食和ADF相似，水禁食是一种更长期的间歇性禁食方案——通常涉及禁食48到72小时或更长时间，仅允许饮用水。鉴于水禁食的长时间段，有时建议补充一些矿物质和电解质，如钠、钾和镁。
结合酮饮食和间歇性禁食
我们不止一次提到，禁食在同时追随酮饮食的人群中非常流行。这背后可能有一些扎实的理论基础。
事实上，遵循酮能量高脂低碳饮食确实能使禁食变得更简单、更可控。这是因为酮饮食会帮助你更好地适应使用脂肪，这将增强你在进行延长禁食时的能力，而不会感到无精打采、沮丧或无法忍耐的饥饿感。
酮饮食和间歇性禁食都具有相同的代谢目标——教会身体有效地燃烧脂肪获取能量，并进入酮症状态。
这两种方式都是通过耗尽体内的葡萄糖和降低胰岛素水平来实现这一点。
结合酮饮食与间歇性禁食的另一个优势是，间歇性禁食可能帮助你更快达到酮症状态，并可能实现更高的酮体水平。
间歇性禁食促进酮症，而酮症又可能帮助间歇性禁食。这是一种美妙的代谢结合。
收获益处
从已呈现的所有证据来看，很难否认酮饮食或间歇性禁食。他们似乎对许多不同的身体状况和疾病都有益处，同时也增进了一些非疾病相关的功能。
研究表明，酮饮食的好处主要源于其激活类似禁食的机制——这一点是确实的。禁食和酮症似乎都通过唤醒古老的生物途径来促进压力抵抗、生存和长寿。
尽管我们极力推荐这两种方式，但在没有一些经验基础的情况下，切勿贸然尝试禁食和酮症。适应饮食 regimen 需要时间，尤其是在长时间禁食的情况下。或许你可以先尝试时间限制进食（TRF）结合酮饮食，然后再逐步延长禁食时长。
如果你在酮饮食、间歇性禁食或二者结合的实践中取得了良好的效果，欢迎在评论区分享你的经验！我们很想听听你的故事。
Keto and Intermittent Fasting: A Beginner’s Guide
When it comes to biohacking, there probably aren’t two more popular practices than the ketogenic high-fat diet and fasting.
Both regimens have health benefits including improved metabolism, weight loss, and even better cognitive function. Research studies have shown benefits for each, and personal stories on social media serve as some pretty profound anecdotes.
It might not be surprising that many often adopt a keto diet with intermittent fasting. Maybe you’re one of those people. This makes sense—keto and intermittent fasting actually have a lot in common. Keto works in many of the same ways that intermittent fasting works.
And, in fact, sticking to a low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diet might actually make it much, much easier to practice intermittent fasting. The synergy of keto with intermittent fasting can lead to some pretty remarkable benefits for you body. This article will explore why. Overview of Ketosis
Ketosis is a metabolic state characterized by the presence of ketones in the blood. This occurs when the body is faced with a “challenge” of low blood sugar and reduced glycogen stores, which initiates a cascade of hormones that signal the body to begin breaking down fat stores and releasing fatty acids into the circulation.
Once in the circulation, these fatty acids are transported to the liver and used in the production of ketones—a process termed ketogenesis. In particular, the liver produces a ketone body known as acetoacetate (AcAc), a majority of which is turned into beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB).
But what’s the purpose of ketosis?
Most of us know that our body can make energy by burning carbohydrates as well as fat. One of the major sources of energy for humans and animals is glucose—which we obtain primarily by consuming dietary carbohydrates: breads, fruits, vegetables, legumes, starches, and sugars. The breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose is one way that we maintain blood sugar. Lots of body tissues use glucose as a fuel—and some can’t use anything else (some eye cells and red blood cells, for instance).
In addition to glucose in the blood, we can store glucose in our muscles and liver as glycogen—long chains of glucose. We utilize glycogen during situations where blood glucose starts to run low—like during long-duration exercise.
Humans can also burn fat for energy, and several organs like the heart prefer fat as their main energy substrate.
Fat is also a great energy source because we have a lot of it! Even the skinniest among us have enough body fat to last a long time.
The purpose of ketosis is to provide fuel when the other sources of energy (mainly glucose) are running low. This was (and still is, perhaps) a survival mechanism that allowed organisms to survive under conditions where food supply was low. In order to keep energy levels high and maintain cognitive function, the liver produces ketones to serve as a metabolic fuel for the brain and body.
Ketones, unlike fatty acids, can cross the blood brain barrier that separates the brain from our circulation. In this way, the brain can have an energy source when glucose is low. During “starvation”, up to 60% of the brain’s energy might come from ketone body metabolism.
While ketosis isn’t necessarily needed for “survival” in our modern times, this “unique” metabolic state likely has some benefits. In this article, we will specifically talk about endogenous ketosis, since it best relates to intermittent fasting.
Benefits of Ketosis
Ketosis achieved through a ketogenic diet has been shown to have benefits for a wide variety of clinical conditions.
The keto diet originally started as a treatment for epilepsy, and is still used in this way today. The metabolism of ketones may have some potent brain benefits including a reduction of oxidative stress, lower levels of inflammation, and improved levels of various neurotransmitters involved in health and disease processes.1
The ketogenic diet has been shown to reduce the frequency of seizures in epileptic patients anywhere from 40 - 90%. These results are probably due to several mechanisms including increased GABA,2 reduced glutamate,3 higher activity of potassium ion channels,4 and reduced brain glucose metabolism.5
Other brain conditions that benefit from ketosis include Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.6,7,8,9,10 There is even some evidence that ketosis could improve mood, reduce migraines, and enhance mental focus.11,12,13,14
Along with brain health, ketosis is effective in treating metabolic conditions like type 2 diabetes, which is characterized by insulin resistance. The keto diet reduces blood glucose and lipids, increases weight loss, and improves insulin sensitivity15,16,17,18—all of which reduce the risk for diabetes and the metabolic syndrome or attenuate their negative effects.
The metabolic benefits of keto might extend to athletes as well, since ketosis is characterized by an increased capacity to burn fat.
Several studies have provided evidence that athletes on a keto diet can significantly improve their body composition—build lean muscle mass while reducing body fat.
Ketosis can be achieved endogenously (using exercise, fasting, or a ketogenic diet) or exogenously through the use of exogenous ketone supplements. Many benefits of ketosis are similar, regardless of the method achieved to induce it. However, some benefits are specific to endogenous ketosis—in particular those related to weight and fat loss.
Fasting 101
You’ve likely heard of fasting in one way or another—it seems to be all over the media lately. Whether it’s being talked about as “biohacking” or an eating disorder, fasting is pretty controversial. In a world of overeating, not eating is polarizing. But while controversial, the data don’t lie. Research studies on fasting have shown that this lifestyle practice can have a multitude of health benefits—several of which are similar to those induced by ketosis.
This makes sense…since fasting leads to ketone production. Let’s take a look at how this happens. What is Intermittent Fasting?
In simple terms, intermittent fasting refers to a reduced meal frequency. While there are many variations of IF, the most common forms include a once-weekly 24 hour fast, alternate day fasting (ADF) or a 5:2 fast—which involves fasting 2 consecutive days out of each week. The “intermittent” part of IF simply means that you aren’t necessarily fasting everyday.
That’s what differentiates IF from time-restricted feeding (TRF). TRF is the practice of reducing your eating window to anywhere from 4 - 10 hours during the day, and fasting the rest of the time. In contrast to IF, most people who practice TRF do so every day.
The Science of IF
Every time we eat, a metabolic response is triggered. If the meal contains carbohydrates, this metabolic response will include an increase in blood glucose (of varying degrees) and insulin. The pancreas releases insulin in order to facilitate the uptake of blood glucose into our skeletal muscles.
When insulin is released, it signals for the body to store excess energy as glycogen or adipose tissue. The primary storage sites are the liver and skeletal muscle. Along with upregulating processes for the storage of energy, insulin inhibits others—in particular those that release fat from our stored adipose tissue deposits.
Basically, insulin is a signal to “grow’ instead of “breakdown”—it’s anabolic rather than catabolic.
During fasting, since no food is coming in, blood glucose and insulin levels begin to drop. After a certain period of time, the body will start to burn fat and produce ketones. How long does it take?
After a single overnight fast, concentrations of ketones in the body are around 0.1 - 0.5mM, meaning you’ll be just below the “threshold” for ketosis. After 48 hours of fasting, ketones can reach 1 - 2mM. 5 days of fasting can increase ketone levels to around 7 - 8mM.19
Fat burning and ketone production are the primary outcomes of intermittent fasting, and two mechanisms that explain many of IF’s benefits.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
There are several advantages to intermittent fasting—both physiological and psychological.
The first benefit may be for those looking to lose weight. While the research isn’t definitive on this, many people report that they find it much easier to stick to than traditional diets where you’re forced to consume much fewer calories than you need.
Some might find it easier to simply not eat than to chronically maintain calorie intake well below their means. This could be more of a psychological effect than something physical. In addition, IF may make it easier to meal plan (or not plan…if you catch our drift). If it’s one of your fasting days, you don’t have to worry about preparing a meal, making time to eat, or worrying about WHAT you’re going to eat. When done in the proper context, this could free up some time to be productive in work or hobbies.
Intermittent fasting is in its infancy as far as research goes, and most studies have been conducted in mice. Lean and Mean
IF may benefit body composition. In humans, fasting for 24 hours may reduce weight and maintain that weight loss for up to 48 hours (most is likely just water weight). Multiple cycles of fasting (for example, weekly 24 hours fasts) could lead to long-term weight loss, however. This needs to be explored more in humans.
In mice, a diet that mimicked fasting and was repeated twice per month significantly reduced the amount of visceral fat in these rodents; with the added benefits of increased neurogenesis, improved cognitive performance, and bolstered immune system.20
Live Long and Prosper
It’s hard to study lifespan in humans, so in this area, we don’t have a lot of data on IF promoting a longer life. But, in rodent models, animals were fasted intermittently showed increased lifespan and healthspan compared to mice who ate more frequently.21 Lifespan might be enhanced through several mechanisms involving increased autophagy, reduced oxidative stress, and lower levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).22,23,24,25,26,27 Metabolic Boost
Several aspects of metabolism and digestive health might improve through IF. Intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce levels of several risk factors for cardiovascular and heart disease including: blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides), blood glucose, insulin, blood pressure, and inflammation.28,29
These metabolic benefits might come from the effects that fasting has on regulating our circadian rhythms, sleep, and the gut microbiome.
Individuals who report practicing routine, periodic fasting (i.e. IF) have a lower risk of diabetes, reduced levels of blood glucose, and a lower body mass index.30 This shows that fasting might help prevent the onset of several metabolic diseases. However, fasting may also reverse aspects of diseases like type 2 diabetes.31,32 This might include reducing glucose and insulin or improving insulin sensitivity. Brain Health
We’ve covered the body, what about the brain? This organ may too benefit from what IF has to offer. One benefit may relate directly to ketones—specifically beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). BHB is a strong stimulus for the release of a hormone known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which promotes the growth of new neurons (called neurogenesis).33
Unfortunately, other “mental benefits” of fasting haven’t been studied. We don’t have studies on how fasting impacts cognitive function, mental clarity, or focus. However, one study that included 1,422 participants found evidence that physical and emotional well being improve during fasts lasting from 4 to 21 days in duration. This is some fairly strong data that fasting may not only be feasible, but beneficial for the brain in healthy individuals.34
Variations of Intermittent Fasting
Perhaps one of the most attractive aspects of fasting is that it is completely customizable. Whether you’re doing time restricted eating or a once-per week fast, YOU get to choose how to fit fasting into your life. And, since we don’t have data as to what the best fasting protocol is, the only thing that matters is how your fasting regimen uniquely benefits you and fits within your lifestyle.
While we mentioned that keto and intermittent fasting are often practiced together, they don’t have to be. For some people, that’s another attractive benefit of IF. Instead of focusing on exactly what to eat, with IF, you’re only worried about when you eat.
The 5:2 Fast
The 5:2 fast has its description in the name. Eat for 5 days each week, fast for 2. It sounds pretty simple, because it is. The 2 days must be consecutive, however; or at least that’s what is recommended by 5:2 advocates.
How do you go about eating on the 5 days when you aren’t fasting. Some people might just take up some sort of modified time-restricted feeding regimen and eat what they normally would. Others may just say “no rules.” When 5:2 fasting is described, the “feeding days” are usually said to be “ad libitum”—which essentially means you eat whatever you want. But keep it reasonable.
Alternate Day Fasting (ADF)
Alternate day fasting is another self-explanatory regimen.
In this fasting protocol, you eat every other day.
This means you’ll be eating 4 days out of every 7 during any week.
Similar to the 5:2 fast, the “feeding” days on ADF are supposed to be “ad libitum”, not putting restrictions on what or how much you eat.
Extended Water Fasting
While similar to 5:2 fasting and ADF, water fasting is a more prolonged IF regimen—typically involving a fast of anywhere from 48 to 72 hours or more where only water is consumed. Given the long time frame of water fasting, it is sometimes advised to consume some minerals and electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
Combining Keto and IF
We have mentioned more than once that fasting is super popular among people who are also following a ketogenic diet. There may be some solid theory behind this.
In fact, eating a ketogenic high-fat low-carb diet will make fasting easier and more manageable. This is because a keto diet will help you become more fat adapted, which will enhance your ability to perform an extended fast without feeling lethargic, depressed, or unbearably hungry.
Keto diets and intermittent fasting both have the same metabolic goals—train the body to efficiently burn fat for energy and get into a state of ketosis.
Both regimens do this by depleting glucose and lowering insulin levels in the body.
Another advantage of combining keto with intermittent fasting is that IF may help you get into ketosis even faster and perhaps achieve higher ketone levels.
Intermittent fasting promotes ketosis, and ketosis may help with intermittent fasting. A beautiful metabolic marriage.
Bring on the Benefits
After all of the evidence presented, it’s hard to argue against the keto diet or intermittent fasting. They seem to benefit so many different physical conditions and diseases, along with having benefits for non-disease related functions.
It is said that the benefits of keto are basically due to the fact that it activates similar mechanisms to that of fasting—this is true. Fasting and ketosis both seem to call upon ancient biological pathways to promote stress resistance, survival, and longevity.
While we advocate both highly, don’t just jump right into fasting and ketosis without a bit of experience first. It takes some time to both metabolically and psychologically adapt to dietary regimens—especially prolonged fasting. Maybe try out TRF first along with a keto diet, and gradually progress your fasting periods.
If you’ve had a great experience with keto, IF, or both, tell us in the comments! We’d love to hear.
REFERENCE
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