Fasting to fix your gut.
Self reported digestive issues are on the rise. More so than ever people are complaining of serious bloating, discomfort when eating, reflux and a variety of other IBS symptoms. People are very quick to blame things like gluten and lactose when the reality is there is a HUGE plethora of possible causes. The way we structure our lives does not help the case. Constant rushing, places to go and deadlines to meet we find ourselves quickly eating, regularly snacking, eating late and large proportions of the day sitting. These 3 things can play havoc on your digestive system not allowing it to repair and restore.
Recently I have started to utilise time restricted feeding (TRF) into my practice. Referencing author, Jeanette Hyde, who has seen first hand the amazing power time restricted feeding can have, she mentions “Giving the gut a 12 - 16 hour fast overnight is like giving a lawn a break from being walked over. It has time to regenerate and fix itself.” I absolutely love this image, as it allows you to visualise the importance of giving your digestion a good break. Building a healthy gut and bacterial profile is key for laying the foundations for better health.
“When your organs are repaired and rejuvenated, it’s almost like taking care of your car, getting the oil changed and tires rotated, on a daily basis”- Dr Satchin Panda
The real pioneer of time restricted feeding windows is Dr Satchin Panda of the Salk Institue in California. His studies are definitely worth a read and I will reference below. Satchin’s TRF mouse study, using mice all with the same mother, age and gender, fed 1 group an 24 hour high fat/high sucrose diet and the other group the identical diet, but within a 8 hour eating window. Both groups ate the same number of calories and after 18 weeks the mice who ate within a 8 hour window weighed an average of 28% less that those with 24 access. Mice with the same caloric intake but just in a shorter feeding window were protected against obesity, hyperinsulinemia, inflammation and showed improved nutrient utilisation and energy expenditure. Thats an awful lot for simply adjusting when you eat. As well as this, the TRF mice microbiome flourished. Bacterial diversity grew and we know variety is reflective of good gut health. Whilst Humans don’t react the same as mice, I have seen first hand marked improvements with my clients gastrointestinal symptoms when implementing TRF. Human studies for the University of Alabama looked at 2 groups with isocaloric diets but one with a eating window of 6 hours and the other 12 hours. The 6 hour window group demonstrated improved insulin sensitivity and lipid regulation.
Time restricted feeding is free, simple and so easy to implement but how does it work? There are multiple frame works for TRF.
12:12
14:10
16:8
The later figure being the number of hours you can eat in a day (12, 10 or 8). This starts from the first thing you consume, yes that includes the milk in your cup of tea! Depending on the person, some people prefer to skip breakfast and wait until lunch. This means breaking the fast at 1pm and finishing your final bite at 9pm if you are on the 16:8. The lining in our gut recycles every 10 to15 days forming a new layer of cells. We repair daily 8-10% of this lining so allowing our gut to recieve the appropriate repair window is key.
Please note, a feeding window is not a free for all. You should still focus on getting in as much diversity as possible, include a variety of veg, legumes and quality protein sources to ensure you are fuelling yourself appropriately. If you are following a specific diet for your gastrointestinal symptoms, please maintain this. Do not take this has hey, now I can eat as many pizzas, glasses of wine and a share bag of buttons as I am protected, as lovely as that sounds….
Dr Satchin Panda’s Work- https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(12)00189-1