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5 Reasons Why Intermittent Fasting is Dangerous for Some Women

Matt

Sep 22, 2019

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Obesity and unhealthy weight gain are some of the biggest health challenges we face. What people, especially women, are looking for are the easiest ways to shed those extra pounds. One trending technique for weight loss is intermittent fasting (IF). The proponents of this way of losing weight claim that it helps you lose weight faster. However, medical experts are warning of severe health issues for women doing this weight loss technique.

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you cycle between fasting and eating. It has several approaches with one being fasting for 16 hours a day and eating within the 8 hours remaining. Another approach is called 5:2, where you eat as usual the first five days of the week, and for the last two days, you consume around 500 to 600 calories. However, these approaches can be dangerous for both men and women. Here are 5 reasons why intermittent fasting is dangerous for some women.

A woman feeling the effects of intermittent fasting

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1 of

Stress and Anxiety

Studies have shown that hunger increases stress and anxiety levels. By fasting, you’re obviously exposing yourself to hunger. That’s how your levels of stress and anxiety are likely to increase. We know such mental conditions are also responsible for unhealthy weight gain. So, you might end up in a worse situation than where you started.

3 vanilla frosted donuts stacked on top of each other with fruity pebble sprinkles

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2 of

High Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

One of the biggest disadvantages with short period fasting is the increase of oxidative stress and free radical production. These are compounds that raise the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Free radicals will damage the pancreas hence affecting the production of insulin. When the amount of insulin is less than required, then the patient is likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes. That's another of the reasons why you need to take caution before starting with IF.

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3 of

Food Sensitivity

Another health issue associated with IF is food sensitivity. You might start having problems with gluten, artificial sweeteners, and dairy after starting IF. Some of these food sensitivities can result in brain and gut problems in women.

A woman experiences hunger pangs from intermittent fasting

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Gut problems

During eating hours, you might end up taking the wrong food, and that could result in gut complications. For instance, if you start with an orange juice after fasting, you’ll be exposing yourself to serious health complications. The juice is rich in sugar which will go directly to the gut to feed yeast and the rest of the unfriendly bacteria in your digestive system. So, when the number of harmful bacteria increases, you’re likely to encounter problems with your gut system.

Woman lying restless in bed on her stomach due to unhealthy intermittent fasting

Image by Tero Vesalainen / Shutterstock

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Sleeping Problems

Last but not least is disrupted sleeping cycles. Women doing intermittent fasting are likely to have sleeping problems due to changes in their eating patterns. In addition, the kind of food you eat on that day could affect your sleeping pattern. For instance, if you eat food rich in carbohydrates, it’s likely to disrupt your sleep.

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Matt

GR8NESS Writer

Matt is a GR8NESS contributing writer on such subjects as pets, CBD, pain relief, sexual health, time management, and family & parenting. When he's not placed in the awkward position of referring to himself in the third person, Matt tries to keep two Dachshunds, an 18-year old daughter, and one wife blissfully happy but not necessarily in that order.

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