QUOTE from Dr Fung (emphasis mine):
“There are, in fact, no species of animal, humans included, that have evolved to require three meals a day, everyday. It’s unclear to me where this myth originated. Daily caloric restriction does, in fact, lead to decreased metabolism, so people have assumed that this effect would be magnified as food intake dropped to zero. It won’t. Decreasing food intake is matched by decreased energy expenditure. However, as food intake goes to zero, the body switches energy inputs from food to stored food (fat). This strategy significantly increases the availability of “food,” which is matched by an increase in energy expenditure. So what happened in the Minnesota Starvation Experiment (see chapter 3)? These participants were not fasting, but instead eating a reduced-calorie diet. The hormonal adaptations to fasting were not allowed to happen. Adrenalin was not increased to maintain total energy expenditure. Growth hormone was not increased to maintain lean muscle mass. Ketones were not produced to feed the brain. Detailed physiologic measurements show that total energy expenditure is increased over the duration of a fast. Twenty-two days of alternate daily fasting created no measurable decrease in total energy expenditure. There was no starvation mode. There was no decreased metabolism. Fat oxidation increased 58 percent, while carbohydrate oxidation decreased from 53 percent. The body had started to switch over from burning sugar to burning fat, with no overall drop in energy. Four days of continuous fasting actually increased total energy expenditure by 12 percent. Norepinephrine (adrenalin) levels skyrocketed 117 percent to maintain energy. Fatty acids increased over 370 percent as the body switched to burning fat. Insulin decreased 17 percent. Blood glucose levels dropped slightly, but remained in the normal range.” [1]
NOTE – What does it say?
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No species of animal, humans included, have evolved to require three meals a day, everyday.
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Decreasing food intake is matched by decreased energy expenditure.
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The body had started to switch over from burning sugar to burning fat, with no overall drop in energy.
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DISCERNMENT QUESTIONS
What gets my attention?
Do I understand the need or problem?
Do I understand the potential solution?
Do I understand how to apply that strategy?
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Who needs to hear this?
What do I do next?
SOURCE – Footnotes:
[1] Quote from The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss by Dr. Jason Fung; Greystone Books (March 3, 2016). Page 244.
Image: On-Off Switch.jpg From Wikimedia Commons
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Key: Fung-10-30.27 Last Revision: 05/04/2021.