What’s All the Hype About Intermittent Fasting?
Searches for #intermittentfasting on TikTok yield nearly 200,000 posts and over two billion views. On Instagram, the #intermittentfasting hashtag has over five million posts. Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Jimmy Kimmel, and Nicole Kidman do it to stay camera-ready, and Chris Pratt reportedly lost 60 pounds using this weight loss strategy. Plenty of nonfamous people are also choosing intermittent fasting (IF), from the busy mom with three kids to the guy at the climbing gym to the busy executive, and it’s not just a fad—IF is well-researched and rooted in science. (The Harvard School of Public Health reviewed 40 studies and found that intermittent fasting was effective for weight loss, with a typical loss of 7-11 pounds over 10 weeks.)
Fasting is nothing new. Fasting is intentionally not eating—which sets it apart from starvation—and people fast for a variety of reasons that may be health-related but can also be cultural or religious. Intermittent fasting (IF) as a health strategy differs from religious fasting and has gained traction over the past few years, whether people are seeking to lose weight, increase longevity, or improve a variety of health conditions.
Excerpted from Chronogram
