Fasting - Who is it good for?
Have you been fasting? You could be doing more harm than good for your body.
Fasting has become trendy in health and wellness for a variety of claims, and sometimes our young female patients come in to our office skipping breakfast or doing a prolonged fasting because they have heard about it’s supposed benefits, or because their male partner has found success with it.
Prolonged fasts (such as something beyond 12 hours, or skipping one meal all together) can have unintended health consequences for young women (especially those of a normal BMI and with a period).
This is due to the fact that a low energy intake, or a lack of enough food, can be perceived by our brain to be a stress. This is further exacerbated when we are active, (yes, walking, yoga, spin etc. all add up and count!), or when we have other stressors such as illness or psychological stress.
When our caloric output (how much we burn) is higher than our intake (how much we eat), yes - weight loss does occur, but also so can hormonal changes - which can cause issues.
When our brain gets word (through hormonal feedback) that we are stressed – from any of the above reasons - it slows the pulses of hormones LH and FSH. These hormones control our period, and when they are off we then don’t stimulate our ovaries to grow a follicle and egg or have high enough LH to stimulate ovulation (the release of the egg). This leads to low hormones and a whole slew of consequences if we don’t address the cause. Our body goes into energy saving mode and reallocates resources away from the “extras” – like creating a new human, or having a period!
These changes can impact fertility and our ability to get pregnant, but also the regularity or total loss of our period (called hypothalamic amenorrhea)! There has been some research that shows even mild caloric restriction of 500-800 calories a day, (which is the equivalent of one meal - hello a fast that eliminates breakfast!) in women of a normal weight can cause hormonal changes. Something to think about if you are trying to get pregnant, have noticed changes to your period, or have noticed you aren’t feeling as energized as normal.
Prolonged missed periods due to stress can also lead to mental health and concentration issues, cardiovascular changes, challenges with fertility, increased fracture risk, thyroid issues and gastrointestinal concerns. This is common in athletes and those with overt eating disorders, but anybody in ANY body can experience this.
Eating regularly – and enough – will slowly begin signalling to your body that you are safe and secure.
Working with a health professional, who can help you define your health goals, and review how your current daily patterns might be influencing how you feel is always important. Book a call with one of our naturopathic doctors today to chat about how we can support you and your health goals.