Available May 16th, 2017
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Watch Out for These Loopholes in Most Intermittent Fasting Programs

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Watch Out for These Loopholes in Most Intermittent Fasting Programs

By Dr. Mercola

There are many different types of intermittent fasting programs available today, but be warned: not all of them should be followed. In addition to a fasting time that's either too long or too short, most intermittent fasting regimens fail because they neglect to consider your body's innate clock into the equation.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is your body's master clock in charge of all your circadian rhythms. It is located in your hypothalamus where it regulates how your autonomic nervous system works along with your hormones, your wake and sleep pattern, your feeding behavior, and your capacity to digest food, assimilate nutrients, and eliminate toxins.

Now, I want to warn you about the negative health impacts of going against your body's master clock, especially when it comes to your feeding time. Habitually eating at the wrong time, which is what you actually do when you follow an erroneous intermittent fasting approach, will not only disrupt your body's innate clock, but will devastate your body's vital functions, too, leading to a cascade of side effects as your whole metabolic system gets unsynchronized.

Check out the flaws of these intermittent fasting protocols:

Why Breakfast Is Not the Most Important Meal of the Day

Proponents of the no-dinner fast believe that breakfast is an important meal and should not be skipped, but the science clearly indicates the opposite. A growing evidence suggests that breakfast may actually do you more harm than good by antagonizing the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and disrupting healthy circadian rhythms.

In addition, a study by the Human Nutrition Research France found that the commonly recommended high-energy breakfast caused major short- and long-term adverse effects, including:

Strong inhibition of fat burning throughout the day Increase in serum triacylglycerol
Decrease in HDL (good cholesterol) Overglycemic reactions

The researchers concluded that a high-energy breakfast does not appear to be favorable to health, and also indicated that the study's results do not support the current recommendation to consume more energy at breakfast.

I am a strong advocate of this type of intermittent fasting, which basically involves skipping breakfast, having an earlier lunch time, and not eating anything beyond 7:00 in the evening. The no-breakfast fast gives you around 16 up to 18 hours of fasting time, which is twice the amount you need to fully digest a hearty dinner.

For more information about burning fat for fuel and the common pitfalls of intermittent fasting, read my latest book, Fat For Fuel, and the article "The Intermittent Fasting Dilemma: How Many Meals Per Day Should You Eat?," written by Ori Hofmekler, author of The Warrior Diet.

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