He intermittent fasting This is one of those fad diets that, even with some scientific evidence, must be followed carefully. It is true that it can help you lose weight and have some health benefits. Its role in the treatment of certain diseases has even been studied. However, this can also lead damage. Some of these are already known but are usually resolved by professional follow-up. However, now a group of scientists from University of East Anglia added fertility problems to the list.
It is important to note that the study in question was conducted with fish. Particularly with copies zebra fish (zebrafish laughed), species widely used as laboratory model. This logically points to the need for human studies to see if the results can be extrapolated. However, given the genetic similarity between this species and ours, something similar cannot be ruled out.
For this reason, this study invites us to further investigate the possible effect of intermittent fasting. After all, more and more people are doing it, so it’s worth exploring all of its effects in detail.
What is intermittent fasting?
In fact, intermittent fasting is not really a diet, but rather a way to distribute meals throughout the day. In essence, what is being done is fasting for several hours, so that meals occur at a strictly defined time. There are different types, depending on how long the periods of fasting last. For example, one of the most famous is 8/16 in which 16 hours of fasting and 8 feedings are performed. You can also fast on alternation of daystherefore, each phase lasts about 24 hours.
It has been proven that if fasting lasts long enough, they can activate alternative metabolic pathways, depends less on glucose and more on other carbon sources. It is also possible that the diet is better suited heart rhythmsso that various benefits will be obtained.
However, intermittent fasting, also known as timed fasting, is not for everyone. For starters, people Eating disorder They should not take this diet. And not only this. There are certain congenital disorders, initially mild, that can be complicated by intermittent fasting, leading to kidney or liver problems, among others. It is for this reason that follow-up with a professional is always recommended. Now, putting all that aside, could there be other, lesser-known risks?
The danger of imbalance between fertility and nutrition
Our body has an amount of energy that it must distribute among all features necessary for their survival. If this energy is sufficient, all of them can be carried out. However, when it becomes scarce, it is necessary to set priorities. AND reproduction it’s not a priority. Yes, it is for the survival of the species, but not for the individual survival of man.
For this reason, it has been observed that malnutrition reproductive functions. A good example of this are women with anorexia, who in many cases lose menstruation when they reach a certain degree of exhaustion. The body doses the small amount of energy that it receives from food.
This led the authors of the new study to believe that something similar could happen with intermittent fasting. It is true that malnutrition does not occur. But there are times when the body can interpret that it should start dispense energy.
To test this, they subjected a group of zebrafish, both male and female, to intermittent fasting. Thus, it was observed that at the end of the period of intermittent fasting, both egg females like sperm men their quality has gone down. That did not prevent them from keeping their offspring, so that it was also of the worst quality.
This indicates that if the same happens to humans, fertility may be affected even after returning to a normal diet. More research is needed to verify if this is the case. But while there is reason to suspect.
What was the zebra fish used for?
The zebrafish is one of the the most common laboratory models after the mouse. This happens for various reasons. For starters, they are very easy to breed They multiply in large numbers and very quickly. This makes it easy to get many copies in a short time.
In addition, for a large part of their development, they transparent, so you can see what’s going on in your body without having to open them. Which, combined with his ability regeneration already his genetic similarity with people, makes them a suitable species.
In this case, they identified a possible unknown effect of intermittent fasting. Perhaps with a different animal model this would not have been possible.
Source: Hiper Textual
