Archives: April 2023
Does When You Eat Your Food Matter for Weight Loss?
If you’ve spent any time researching dietary techniques, you’ve certainly come across intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting has existed for millennia but has been refined a great deal because of our more current scientific understanding of the metabolic system. Intermittent fasting is not a single way to eat but encompasses several possible options. Some may fast every other day or follow a 5/2 program where you eat a typical day’s worth of food five days a week, but significantly reduce or eliminate caloric intake for the remaining two days. There are virtually unlimited permutations of intermittent fasting. However, today, the most discussed form of intermittent fasting does not involve caloric restriction but time-restricted fasting. We are talking about 8/16 fasting, where you may eat what you like for eight hours and then fast for 16 hours, and permutations thereof.
Intermittent fasting has shown metabolic health benefits. Many studies have demonstrated potential weight loss and longevity benefits. With that said, is there really a benefit to eating at consistent times each day? The short answer is, yes. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Three Myths About Controlling Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Because of the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux, disease, or GERD, there has been an explosion in advice regarding controlling and treating it. Unfortunately, this advice often promotes using products and supplements that don’t work. Trying these remedies only extends the time during which a patient suffers from GERD ultimately increasing the risk of follow-on conditions.
To understand the myths surrounding the treatment of GERD, it’s also essential to understand exactly what GERD is. Gastroesophageal reflux disease occurs when gastric juices reflux into the esophagus more than a few times a week for an extended period. It is typically associated with excess weight and obesity due to the intra-abdominal pressure that excess fat accumulation around the abdomen causes. GERD symptoms can run the gamut from none, known as silent GERD, to debilitating, in which a patient may find themselves in the ER thinking they are having a heart attack. Most often, the cause of GERD is due to a weakened Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) – the one-way valve that allows food and drinks into the stomach but prevents gastric juices from refluxing back into the esophagus.