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Intermittent Eating and Exercise

August 4, 2005 12:31 PM

Both fasting and exercise produce a negative energy balance. These, in turn, bring stress and the body responds. When these activities are done intermittently, they are acute (short-term) stresses and the cause the body to go into a protective and repairing mode. When either fasting or exercise are done chronically, these stress responses can no longer keep pace and they cause problems over and above the original stress stimulus.

So, intermittency is the way to go. Power laws are the statistical laws of intermittent processes and this means there is a lot of variance in what you do and eat, but with some pattern. There is just no typical or "normal" activity.

I am putting this abstract on the site to show you how the benefits of intermittent fasting and exercise are different sides of the same coin --- negative energy balance induced acute stress. (This is one of many reasons why I think body builders and just healthy eating is not to eat 5 or more meals a day and to try to remain in positive energy and nitrogen balance.)

Note how the abstract points to increased heart rate variability as a benefit of intermittent fasting. I have pointed to the chaos or complexity of the heart rate as a Good Thing. It is the sort of complexity you get with power laws, which are known to describe the heart beat. Without explaining the reason in their abstract, the authors of this fine study are knowledgeable enough to show the connection between, what I see as, energy balance variability and heart rate variability.

J Nutr Biochem. 2005 Mar;16(3):129-37.
Related Articles, Links
 
Beneficial effects of intermittent fasting and caloric restriction on the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems.

Mattson MP, Wan R.

Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. mattsonm@grc.nia.nih.gov

Intermittent fasting (IF; reduced meal frequency) and caloric restriction (CR) extend lifespan and increase resistance to age-related diseases in rodents and monkeys and improve the health of overweight humans. Both IF and CR enhance cardiovascular and brain functions and improve several risk factors for coronary artery disease and stroke including a reduction in blood pressure and increased insulin sensitivity. Cardiovascular stress adaptation is improved and heart rate variability is increased in rodents maintained on an IF or a CR diet. Moreover, rodents maintained on an IF regimen exhibit increased resistance of heart and brain cells to ischemic injury in experimental models of myocardial infarction and stroke. The beneficial effects of IF and CR result from at least two mechanisms--reduced oxidative damage and increased cellular stress resistance. Recent findings suggest that some of the beneficial effects of IF on both the cardiovascular system and the brain are mediated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling in the brain. Interestingly, cellular and molecular effects of IF and CR on the cardiovascular system and the brain are similar to those of regular physical exercise, suggesting shared mechanisms. [I have added this emphasis to the author's text to highlight what I think is the duality of IF and exercise through negative energy balance and likely other mechanisms.] A better understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which IF and CR affect the blood vessels and heart and brain cells will likely lead to novel preventative and therapeutic strategies for extending health span.

· Evolutionary Fitness

Comments

Posted by: Flower Online [TypeKey Profile Page] at September 12, 2006 4:41 AM

Mike,

Excellent link. Thanks!

Dr. Devany,

Very insightful. From your readings, what are your thoughts on this form of eating and brain health? The Warrior Diet web site had a length article on this several years ago where a doctor endorsed non-linear eating as a means to prevent Alzheimer's, as I recall.

Posted by: Parker [TypeKey Profile Page] at August 4, 2005 4:49 PM

Art,


Here's a fresh study regarding chronic muscle disuse and its effects on fuel metabolism which results in a shift to becoming an unnatural sugar-burner, etc.

http://www.rednova.com/news/health/191839/metabolic_consequences_of_muscle_disuse_atrophy12/

What I found really interesting is last few paragraphs which talk about there being no obvious physiological benefit from the accumulation of fat in atrophied muscle and how a sugar-burner metabolism is associated with the unnatural "fed" vs. "wild" states.


BTW, I hope you had a good ride this past weekend......I have to admit reading about your off-road exploits makes me miss those days when I too rode my old Can Am 175 euduro bike!


Mike

Posted by: Mike [TypeKey Profile Page] at August 4, 2005 1:26 PM

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