What does science say about intermittent fasting?

It seems like every day, someone new mentions intermittent fasting. But what is it, exactly?  There are myriad options — from the 5:2 diet, with two days of extreme calorie restriction each week, to the warrior diet, which involves eating only raw fruit during the day and a mammoth feast at night. Whatever the approach, intermittent fasting involves restricting the window of time when you eat. Supporters evangelise the benefits, promising weight loss, disease prevention, and even life extension.  Currently, the scientific evidence is unclear, but it's an exciting area that may be full of potential.  Today, Jonathan speaks with Gin Stephens, who has had a powerful experience of intermittent fasting transforming her health and weight. He also talks to Tim Spector, who will share what science can tell us about intermittent fasting today —  and, interestingly, how much it can’t, yet. Plus, an exciting announcement about how this is set to change. Gin Stephens is a New York Times bestselling author and podcast host. Tim Spector is a co-founder of ZOE and one of the world's top 100 most cited scientists. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:15 - Topic introduction 02:44 - Quickfire questions 04:38 - ZOE’s intermittent fasting study 08:42 - What is intermittent fasting and how it impacted Gin’s life 11:50 - Demystifying intermittent fasting 14:19 - The science of intermittent fasting 23:29 - Starting intermittent fasting 25:29 - What am I allowed to have during intermittent fasting? 30:07 - The first 28 days of “clean” intermittent fasting 32:51 - Intermittent fasting and the microbiome 37:00 - Correlation with circadian rhythms 38:56 - How important is consistency when time-restricted eating? 41:14 - On intermittent fasting & women’s health 43:24 - Summary 44:35 - Goodbyes 44:56 - Outro Episode transcripts are available here. Join us for the World’s Biggest Intermittent Fasting study at joinzoe.com/fasting Follow Gin: https://www.instagram.com/ginstephens Get Gin’s books here. Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.