Intermittent fasting has become very popular these days and lots of people are relying on it for good health. Intermittent fasting is all about eating for a specific set of hours and then fasting for the rest. there are many different ways to follow this fasting method. However, the most popular one is the 16:8 method. In this method, a person ideally fasts for 16 hours and eats for the remaining 8 hours. Intermittent fasting has many good impacts on health like, loss of weight, promotes digestion, prevent and reverse chronic illnesses like hypertension, obesity and asthma. According to researchers, this kind of fast can also help people who are dealing with auto-immune conditions.
Many doctors have stated that intermittent fasting can majorly help this condition and keep them under control. But, it is important that people follow the kind of fasting that is suitable for them. The aim should be to make sure you get all the nutrition you need and also let the body rest and heal. It is best if patients get advice from experts on how to go on about it as it can also harm our health if not done properly.
Auto-Immune Flare Ups: How Are They Caused
Let us first understand how autoimmune diseases work. When there is a flare-up, our immune system become more active than normal and start producing more antibodies and immune cells which attack the body’s own tissues. This activity does not happen normally and it leads to an increase in certain symptoms like inflammation, swelling, fatigue, pain. These symptoms are often visible on the skin in the form of flaky patches on the skin. These cause irritation, itchiness and also in some cases, pain.
Can Intermittent Fasting Really Help Keep Auto-Immune Conditions In Control?
How can intermittent fasting help reduce such symptoms? Fasting for an extended period of time allows our body to rest and recover. This means that our body is not constantly busy digesting food and defending against inflammatory agents that might be present in the food. Letting our body rest can help tame this condition and reduce flare-ups. Research state that it can hep reduce levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, cell signaling molecules that make the disease worse. The root of all autoimmune conditions is inflammation in the body, and this kind of fasting can help prevent it.
A process called autophagy is associated with fasting. This allows our damaged cells to get cleaned out and also repair the mitochondria. It is a form of self-eating. When the mitochondria (the energy factories of our body) get cleaned, it helps the body provide resilience during a flare-up.
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