#26: Scientific Benefits of Intermittent Fasting - Professor Mark Mattson

[@FoundMyFitness]

00:03:50 - Defines intermittent fasting as mostly being 14-16 hours of restriction, defined by depleting the energy in the liver and creating a "metabolic switch." 00:07:00 - When removing breakfast from your lifestyle, you may need a period of adaptation both psychologically and metabolically in terms of glucose regulation which takes a couple of weeks. 00:10:00 - Stress and conservation of resource mode in cells. 00:11:20 - Adaptation to fasting may confer protection against psychosocial and chronic stress. 00:12:00 - Refeeding as an important rebalancing phase, creating certain brain benefits. 00:14:00 - Mentions Eric Verdin discovery that BHB as a strong modulator of gene expression. 00:14:40 - Beta-hydroxybutyrate promotes BDNF in the brain. 00:17:00 - Discusses exercise as a profound BDNF-promoting anti-depressant. 00:20:00 - Autophagy promoted by fasting, but also exercise. 00:25:00 - Fasting as a way to reduce chronic tissue inflammation. 00:30:40 - Alternate-day fasting in animals increases lifespan by as much as 80%, but control animals have unique conditions due to being lab animals (sedentary, cramped living conditions, but protected from predation). 00:32:50 - Intermittent fasting may improve average lifespan, but this is especially true if it protects those that would otherwise be vulnerable to obesity. 00:33:42 - *Q:* What if the person is already healthy, though? *A:* Maybe a little, but a much smaller effect when compared to the unhealthy group. 00:34:05 - The healthy may still benefit from intermittent fasting in terms of cognition and neurodegenerative disease. 00:35:50 - How Dr. Mattson defines healthy eating in 30 seconds: moderation of energy intake, avoiding simple sugars, avoiding excessive animal fat especially red meat. 00:37:10 - *Tips on starting IF:* do it with a friend, embrace the 2-4 week adaptation period, monitor blood pressure and body weight to see how it's positively affecting you, ask your doctor to run a metabolic panel to see the results. 00:40:10 - Avoid eating within 3 hours before bed. 00:43:50 - Exercising fasted after the metabolic switch may improve performance. 00:45:50 - Previously collaborated with Richard Veech showing ketone ester may improve animal model of Alzheimer's disease 00:48:30 - Exercise and fasting produce synergistic ketone peaks, but exercise caution and making sure you're well adapted first. (Personally skips breakfast, exercises at 1-3 PM and then eats.) 00:50:50 - Ghrelin "hunger hormone" as an enhancer of learning and memory. 00:52:30 - Breakfast is probably not realistic for hunter-gatherers, which may have evolutionary implications. 00:55:30 - *Q:* What is the take-home message on intermittent fasting? *A:* Three meals a day plus snacks may not be the best, eating patterns that incorporate some metabolic switching alongside exercise, a healthy diet, and staying busy cognitively are probably positive health interventions.

[@EnableEntrepreneurship]

Well done. A nice, intelligent and useful conversation. Thanks.

[@genkihealthymamainjapan2177]

There is so many talks about fasting. This one looks like a small gray almost invisible mouse at a first glance, not much advertisement, not aggressively approaching the audience, it's very easy to miss it...And I think it's REALLY shame because I don't know if you realized, but this is one of the best talks on fasting on KZbin ever. Great structure, going strait to the point, not much unnecessary self promoting talk, good questions but not interrupting the flow that you created in the listener's heads, and Mark Matson even not a naturally born speaker is excellent at explaining complicated stuff in very easy to understand way. Am following fasting podcasts for 2 years now, but this is Gold! Get the small invisible mouse an elephant;-)! It deserves it! This podcast is really good! But the beginning of the podcast is little bit weirdo-ish...but cute, made me laugh because I didn't know what to thing about it...;-). That's the only part I would probably change, but is unique in some way...

[@choyvong6843]

This show is fantastic and affirming what I have been doing things correctly. I have been doing intermittent fasting since January 2019. It is almost a year now ( today is 12-23-2020) and I lost about 11 lbs. On average, I lost about 1 pound every month. My waistline has shrunk 2 inches. I feel great. I got into intermittent fasting because the ultrasound of my liver shows that I have fatty liver. My A1C has come down from 5.8 to 5.7 and recently 5.5. Almost all of information offered in this show is true for me except I just drink water during my fasting window,, no coffee or tea. What an excellent show!

[@kabugamuhuthu6542]

Wonderful information. Learnt a lot which i will share with my colleagues. Thanks Mark keep telling us more.

[@MohamedAmineAitMbarek]

Thanks for this conversation, it really help me to know a lot of new informations

[@cleanshaven4465]

Really interesting, thanks very much for sharing your knowledge and your interest in the well being of others.

[@andyakapopscar1191]

Great, informative conversation thank you

[@PianoUniverse]

Can't believe this is the first post on this video. Pretty much sums up the whole intermediate fasting theory.

[@TheSpv2012]

The advice to skip breakfasts contradicts the research behind the longevity diet.

[@ID-qd1qk]

About longevity… The longest living people on Earth are Blue Zoners. 85-87% of their food is comprised of carbs, plant based foods like legumes, whole grains, tubers, in addition to greens and nuts and seeds. I agreed on IF and has done it myself for a long period of time, BUT the biggest health and brain benefits humans get from whole food plant based diet. No dead animal flesh. Been vegan fir 16 years, I only eat once or twice per day, I agree breakfast is NOT the most important meal a day. 🌱🌱🌱