Although there have been a number of recent studies assessing the effects of intermittent fasting on people, none are long term, and the vast majority of disease-related findings stem from research on laboratory animals. For example, in an animal model of stroke, those fed only intermittently suffered less brain damage because they were better able to resist the stress of oxygen and energy deprivation.

Other animal studies have shown a robust disease-modifying benefit of intermittent fasting on a wide range of chronic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers and neurodegenerative brain diseases, the researchers reported. Their review of both animal and human studies found improvements in a variety of health indicators and a slowing or reversing of aging and disease processes.

For example, human studies of intermittent fasting found that it improved such disease indicators as insulin resistance, blood fat abnormalities, high blood pressure and inflammation, even independently of weight loss. In patients with multiple sclerosis, intermittent fasting reduced symptoms in just two months, a research team in Baltimore reported in 2018.

If you think evolutionarily, Dr. Mattson said, predators in the wild fight for prey in the fasting state and are better at recovering from inevitable injuries. The human counterpart people who evolved in feast-or-famine environments would not have survived unless somehow protected by fasting.

Our human ancestors did not consume three regularly spaced large meals, plus snacks, every day, nor did they live a sedentary life, the researchers wrote. The studies they analyzed showed that most if not all organ systems respond to intermittent fasting in ways that enable the organism to tolerate or overcome the challenge and then return to normal.

Dr. Mattson explained that during a fast, the body produces few new proteins, prompting cells to take protein from nonessential sources, break them down and use the amino acids to make new proteins that are essential for survival. Then, after eating, a lot of new proteins are produced in the brain and elsewhere.

A reasonable question might be How safe is intermittent fasting? When fats are used for energy, they produce substances called ketone bodies that regulate the expression and activity of many proteins and molecules that are known to influence health and aging, the researchers reported. Ketosis, a build-up of acidic ketones in the blood, is a state that the Atkins diet, the ketogenic diet and other carbohydrate-restricted diets aim to achieve. Taken to extremes, however, ketosis can damage the liver, kidneys and brain and is especially dangerous to people with various chronic disorders like diabetes and heart disease.

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The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting - The New York Times

Adam Drewnowski, PhD, director, Center for Public Health Nutrition Professor of Epidemiology, University of Washington, said goals cannot be accomplished without a well-nourished labor force. He also highlighted how few studies on workplace interventions for health have used productivity or work performance as the endpoint.

Even though improvement of productivity may have been the ultimate goal, relatively few interventions in high-income countries have explored the likely impact of improved dietary nutrient density on workplace performance. Drewnowski continued,Given that optimal nutrition benefits both physical and mental health, interventions to improve diet quality ought to have a measurable impact on the productivity of the labor force.

Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said that one in five adults in the United States reported having a mental illness in 2016 and 71% reported experiencing at least one symptom of stress. These mental health issues can interfere with employee productivity and lead to higher rates of disability and unemployment.

Physically, the outlook is even more daunting, with over half of American adults expected to be obese by 2030.

A recent physician survey by Sermo found that 85% of physicians think insurance companies should cover dietician visits to help educate overweight patients on proper nutrition even if they do not have any metabolic abnormalities and 65% of doctors recommend that employers give employees a paid exercise hour.

A research team from a 2008 study in the UK found that of 200 employees, those who had access to and used a company gym were more productive during the day, and went home feeling more satisfied on the days they exercised during regular work hours.

Another study showed that regardless of age, people experience immediate benefits for cognition following a single bout of moderate exercise, such as 15 minutes of moderately intense cycling on a stationary bike. These findings suggest that working out during the day could be even better than bookending gym time before or after the office.

Drewnowski told NutraIngredients-USA that he is very much in favor of workplace wellness programs. Better health and fitness improve quality of life, there is no question. I am sure that employers intended the benefits to translate into better productivity; yet workplace performance was not measured directly. So here is a research gap that ought to be addressed.

To highlight that sparsity, Drewnowski presented his findings in the academic journal Nutrition Reviews,which examined the evidence linking workplace dietary interventions with workplace productivity measures.

Drewnowski also addressed a potential role for supplementation in delivering improved workplace performance. Noting that studies carried out to-date had looked at dietary interventions only in relation to food, he suggested that their scope should be widened to include nutrition obtained from elsewhere, including food supplements.

Dietary interventions (in rich countries) have focused on fewer calories and more vegetables and fruit. Interventions in poor countries were intended to provide more calories and a more nutrient rich diet.

Drewnowski said that that improvements in dietary nutrient density can be achieved in different ways: What we want is to improve the nutrient-to-calorie ratio, so here is where vitamins, minerals and dietary ingredients come in. Even in rich countries, too many people have diets composed of refined grains, sugars, and fats and minimal nutritional value. Improving dietary nutrient density without extra calories is the point.

Drewnowski told NutraIngredients-USA that his review article aimed to link dietary nutrient density with productivity, while pointing out that research gaps remain.

He suggested taking a two-pronged approach to future research to promote a nutrition-driven economy, recommending large-scale observational studies that include questions about workplace productivity in addition to questions about health outcomes.

Second, there is a need for randomized controlled trials of supplement use in the workplace, with both health and productivity as outcomes. Including workplace productivity measures in standard health surveys would help establish the link between nutrition interventions and local and national economies.

The leading annual event for the prebiotic, probiotic and microbiota focused food and pharma industries.

As part of the Probiota Series, the event will bring together professionals from across the globe to network, connect and engage whilst learning about the hottest topics in the industry.

Join us as we connect the business and science of the microbiome May 27 29, 2020.

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Source: Nutrition Reviews

Vol 78, Issue 3, March 2020, doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuz088

Impact of nutrition interventions and dietary nutrient density on productivity in the workplace

Author: Adam Drewnowski

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Public health expert ringing the alarm on workplace nutrition - NutraIngredients-usa.com

WINNIPEG -- Maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the most important things to do to help keep your heart healthy University of Manitoba cardiology fellow Dr. Phyllis Sin says.

She told CTV News that lifestyle changes, like dieting, exercising, quitting smoking and reducing alcohol intake make the biggest impact on improving heart health.

"But we also know that these are also the most difficult to implement," she explained Friday, after hosting a session on two popular diets at The Wellness Institute.

The two diets she and a colleague covered were the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting.

"It's not 100 per cent clear what it does long term to your heart health and same with intermittent fasting," she said.

Eating keto, she explained is when most of your calories come from fats, a little protein and very little carbohydrates.

Intermittent fasting is limiting hours in the day when you eat a common window is 11a.m. to 7p.m.

Sin added that there is evidence that these two diets do help people with weight loss, but when choosing one, its important to consult with your doctor or a dietitian to use the right approach for your lifestyle.

"If you use a more plant based approach for both of these diets, that can also lower your bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol, and perhaps let you come off your blood pressure medications cholesterol medications and help improve the way your body processes sugars," she said.

She did caution that for people living with diabetes, these two diets may not be ideal because a low carb diet and not eating for a long period of time could cause blood sugar levels to dip too low.

Winnipegger Melina Elliott has been doing the ketogenic diet for two and a half years.

"I went for my physical and my doctor said to me, 'you have a strong family history of type 2 diabetes , your body is holding out well now, but you need to make a change," she said via Skype from Ontario where she was for work.

Elliott is also sure she was on track to be at a higher risk for heart attack and stroke. Shes now lost 85 pounds and says people are amazed with her progress.

"They'll see me and they'll ask, what did you do? and I tell them I flipped my diet," she said.

Through her work at BodyMeasure, she is able to keep a very close eye on her health markers.

"I am at no risk now for type 2 diabetes or heart disease," she said.

Her motivation is her health and the choice to stick with it is an easy one.

Dr. Sin was a part of the free Matters of the Heart Event put on by the Wellness Institute. A team of resident physicians from the University of Manitoba Cardiac Sciences Program give presentations on current heart health issues.

The next event is a free webinar called, Womens Heart Health: What Makes Us Different will be held February 26 at noon featuring Cardiac Rehabilitation Nurse, Kendra Gierys.

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Ketogenic dieting, intermittent fasting and the impacts to your heart health - CTV News

How I reduced my video usage and replaced it with books

Is it possible, given that someone has an impenetrable will, to stop watching videos? Maybe, but videos are addictive: an immersive experience where all you have to do is sit back. I grew up with Netflix taking Blockbuster, YouTubes rise to fame, and anime on the screens of every Asian teenager (including me).

From my childhood to my teenage years to adulthood, I consumed videos endlessly. If I wasnt playing games, I was watching videos, and I often wasnt playing games. Id click a video, and when it ended, choose the next video from the suggestions sidebar. Then I would go into an infinite loop of videos until I realize Ive watched a bunch of videos about something I didnt care about and didnt need to know. A said something about B behind their back and C watched but kept quiet, and D roasted them for not contributing, but E also wants to stay out of the drama and doesnt take any responsibility, so the comment section grills them.

Ive developed a sickness for videos. Well, not for videos themselves, but for the experience of endlessly watching videos. This type of consumption has lost its allure. I cant watch video after video after video anymore: Im too aware of how much time Im wasting. You can make the argument that Im learning something from every video, and its true, every video teaches something. But theres an opportunity cost to it: you could be learning more.

And it also doesnt change the fact that theres a state of pure passivity that you eventually reach, a state where your mind is not conscious of anything youre doing anymore. You click because you cant handle the void.

Maybe Im unfair, perhaps some people watch every video with a genuine active interest, with the curious electricity of a mind absorbing and adding information and creating a clearer mental model of the universe. But I dont think so. Im sure that others have the same brain-drain feeling after getting lost in a hedonic loop.

I tried to quit videos all at once a little over half a year ago. But I kept facing the blank space, the void. Having nothing to do terrified me so much that I couldnt do it. If I were a strong man, I would face the void, the darkness. But Im not. I cant handle being alone with my thoughts. Maybe for a little bit, and perhaps even better than most people can. I meditate for twenty minutes every day, which Im sure improves my ability to be alone.

But still, left for too long, Ill go back to watching videos. I couldnt quit all at once, so I decided to set some rules to reduce my usage. I didnt want to stop watching videos altogether anyway.

So I set some rules for myself:

The most valuable resources on YouTube for me were exercise form and routine videos, podcast clips like Joe Rogan, and videos about books that Bill Gates recommends (and others like that). I now never get addicted to watching one video after the next. Theres only a certain amount of learning I can do before it gets boring, and it gets boring fast. And so I rarely touch YouTube except to listen to music, in which case Im letting it play in the background while I do something else.

The sitcoms-only rule comes from my personal experiences with TV. I found that dramas like Game of Thrones stir my feelings, interest me in the plot, and leave my mind wanting more, probably why its so popular. Sitcoms do the opposite. They make me feel good, and they barely have a plot; I can more easily stop myself from watching another episode.

On weekdays, I have breakfast and lunch at work, so I dont watch Netflix there. And often, I have dinner outside (sadly, I dont have a family to come back home to, so I eat with friends). This means that on weekdays, I watch one episode of a sitcom, and on weekdays, I watch two or three. It took me 7 months to complete The Big Bang Theory, despite it being the only show I watched the entire time. One of my friends laughed because she could finish a season per day. Thats okay; Im trying to reduce my usage, not increase it.

What did I do with the extra time? I started taking exercise seriously. I went six days a week. Four days at the gym, two days running. After work, I spent more and more time at the gym because I was afraid of going home only to have nothing to do. Avoidant, yes, but it resulted in positive behavior, and Im grateful for that.

At this point, you might be wondering: Why dont you just become comfortable with the void? Ill be honest: Ive tried, and its hard. I dont know if anyone has ever tried to sit in a room by themselves without doing anything, away from technology, from books, from any possible stimuli, but not only does it make me feel like Im wasting time, my thoughts rampage in a chaos that I know I can stop by doing anything. I still try, though. Like I said before, I meditate for twenty minutes every day. But thats not enough for me to become comfortable sitting in a room silently, after all, monks do meditate for hours on end to achieve that state.

I started reading more, a lot more. I read 70 books in the past half a year. Okay, fine, I wont brag. There are many novellas and poetry collections on that list that inflate that number. And most are regular-length, easy-to-read novels that only take a few hours to finish. I intentionally read books I was comfortable with because I was now reading for entertainment (unlike when I was reading non-fiction to learn).

My friends call me a voracious reader. We live in a society where content has become shorter and more passive: from books to movies to videos to TikToks. Were losing the ability to read long-form content, including me. A few months ago, it wasnt easy for me to read. I spent a long time trying to muster the concentration, and even longer absorbing the stories.

The reading has made my friends think Im a disciplined man. But Im not. Reading is reading, and I do it for the same reasons everyone else watches Netflix: to escape the void. But Ive learned a lot, things I wouldnt have found. From fiction, I learned of the mutual suffering we all experience. And I never got that sick-to-the-stomach feeling of wasting my life away. Ive improved my concentration, not just for reading, but I can now concentrate on a task for hours on end without stopping, which has, in turn, made my writing better.

My rules arent unbreakable. If my friends wanted to watch something with me, Id gladly do it. But as a general rule, I follow my rules. I read instead of watch.

Im happy with my video diet. Feel free to copy it, mold it, carve it into your own life.

More here:
The Netflix and YouTube Diet That Changed My Life - Medium

Youve probably come across the wordAyurvedarecently (your bestie swears by herAyurvedic morning routine,and your yoga teacher told you that she only eats according to her dosha). But what exactly is it...and is it just a fad? Before you dismiss the Ayurvedic diet as another version of the clean eating trend, you should know that this Indian philosophy has actually been around for thousands of years.

This ancient philosophy of holistic healing is based on the belief that health depends on a balanceofmind, body and spirit. This delicate equilibrium is achieved by following the guidelines and ideas written down in 5,000-year-old Vedic texts. Ayurvedic principles remind us that we are self-healing creatures and that we can maintainor regaingood health by choosing healing foods, a balanced lifestyle and inner calm, writes Vedic scholar Acharya Shunya inAyurveda Lifestyle Wisdom.

Eating healthy, wholesome foods is one of the main pillars of Ayurveda. Another important aspect of this intricate wellness system? Being in tune with your dosha. (More on that below.)

According to Ayurveda,the universe is made up of five elements:vayu (air), jala (water), akash (space), teja (fire) and prithvi (earth). These elements combine to form three different doshas, or life energies: Vata (space and air), Pitta (fire and water) and Kapha (earth and water).

The three doshas are present in all of us, butwe each have one that is more prominent, while the other two should be in an equal (but often shifting) balance. Optimal health is achieved when the doshas are balanced.

Once you know your dominant energy force, you can eat specific foods for your dosha that will nourish your body and promote balance. You can also avoid foods that will cause imbalance, which Ayurveda considers to be at the root of many diseases and health issues, including poor digestion, bad sleep, anxiety, skin problems and more. Confused? Heres an example: Pitta is made up of the fireelement, so someone with that dosha should avoid foods that would fuel that fire (say, a spicy enchilada) since this would throw the elements out of balance.

For an extensive guide to eating for your dosha, check out TheAyurvedicInstituteanditscomprehensive list of foods toeat and to avoid.You can also find an abbreviated version of this below. (Note: Because Ayurveda is such an ancient program, there may be some variation from one source to another.)

The best way to uncover your dosha is to meet with an Ayurvedic doctor, who can suggestwhich foods to eat to achieve optimal balance. You can also discover your dominant energy with this easyWhat Is Your Ayurvedic Dosha?quizor by reading up about each dosha to see where you may fit. Here are some general characteristics:

Vata

Pitta

Kapha

Vata

Pitta

Kapha

Ready to start cooking? Start with one of thesedelicious Ayurvedic recipes.

Following an Ayurvedic diet isnt just aboutwhatfoods you eatbut alsohowyou eat them. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

When to eat

Cook food mindfully.Typically, making dinner involves a quick trip to the grocery store, coming home and realizing weve forgotten a key ingredient, and then a mad dash to get something on the table before 9 p.m., all while turning the kitchen into a giant mess. Its not exactly a Zen activity. But for those following an Ayurvedic diet, cooking should be a tranquil experience. Ayurveda recommends preparing fresh foods in a slow and relaxed manner in a spirit of joy and with the keen anticipation that will make the salivary glands and other digestive juices flow, says Shunya.

Make each meal an event.Time to bust out the fine china. Yep, even if youre eating solo. Set the stage for your meal with beautiful, clean and inspirational crockery, advises Shunya. Put some music on in the background (she recommends wind chimes) and consider lighting a candle or having some fresh fruits or flowers as a centerpiece.

Dont eat too quickly and remember to chew your food.Its all about being mindful about what youre eating and how it tastes, as well as allowing your digestive system to do its thing. (But dont eat so slowly that your food becomes cold.)

Dont eat too much...or too little.This one is tricky since the right amount of food depends on the person. Shunyas advice? Eat until you feel pleasantly satiated. When you walk away from the table, you should not have any discomfort in your abdomen, your breathing should be comfortable and your mind should feel content. Only you know where to draw the line. If youre not sure how to do this, try to stop eating just before youre full. (Its OK to feel a little bit hungry after a meal.) Still need some help? Imagine your stomach is divided into four parts: two are for solids, one is for liquids and the last one you should keep emptysothat everything digests appropriately.

Avoid mutually incompatible foods.Certain foods should not be eaten together, per Ayurvedic principles. For example, milk and vegetables, egg and meat, chicken and honey, lemon and tomato. Another bad combo? Raw fruit with cooked food (so go ahead and cancel that pineapple pizza order). These bad combos can upset the digestive system and cause unnecessary strain to your body.

Drink water consciously.You know youre supposed to drink eight glasses of water a day to stay hydrated, but because youreusually busy,you totallyforget andoften go for long stretches without drinking anything at all and then gulp a giant glass in two minutes flat. (Hey, us too.) Well, did youknow theresan Ayurvedic way of drinking water? Per our friends atVasanti Health, sipping water slowly and deliberately throughout the day is much more beneficial to your body than sudden gulping. Ideally, this water should be room temperature or warm(notice-cold).

Cook with ghee.This clarified butter should be your main cooking medium.Gheehas a super-high smoke point, which makes it great for sauting. And because it has no milk proteins or lactose, its easier for sensitive stomachs to digest. (Dont worry, it tastes like butter.)

Alejandro Junger,M.D.,internist and founder of wellness companyClean, is a big proponent of the Ayurvedic diet. I have witnessed the benefits and I think it is not a risky thing to try when looking for solutions, especially when other methods have not worked, he tells us. Whether its sugar balance, hormonal balance, weight loss, immune strengthening or improving digestion, Ayurvedic intervention through dosha dietary guidelines reaches every cell in the body.

Theres a lot to like about the Ayurvedic diet. It focuses on nutrient-rich whole foods, which experts agree is beneficial to your health. It also minimizes processed foods, which are typically lacking in fiber and nutrients. Finally, the Ayurvedic diet encourages mindful eating (so no more scarfing down an energy bar for lunch). And while research islimited,one small study from the University of Arizonafound that participants whofollowed an Ayurveda-based program (which included dietary changes and yoga classes)experienced an average weight loss of13 pounds overnine months.

As for potential drawbacks? The diet can be confusing to follow. The lists of foods to eatand toavoid are quite extensive, and noteveryone can adhereto the diets suggestions for when to eat and how much. It can also be difficult to accurately determine yourdosha, soyou run the risk of not following the diet correctly.

Ifyou are suffering from a particular health issue, the diet shouldnt replace advice from a medical professional. Per Dr. Junger, I believe that no treatment or approach is good foreverything. But, he tells us, theres certainly no harm in tryingit.

RELATED:What Is Ayurvedic Beauty?

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What Is the Ayurvedic Diet, and Wait, Whats This About Eating for My Dosha? - Yahoo Lifestyle