Light Food or Fasting, Should You Eat or Not for Weight Management?

1. With 2.2 billion overweight people, how do we address the challenge of weight management?

In recent years, the number of obese people has continued to grow, becoming an important manifestation of global health problems. According to the "2021-2026 Weight Loss Industry In-depth Analysis and Investment Strategy Research Consulting Report", the number of overweight/obese people in China will exceed 200 million in 2023.

As people's health awareness increases, more and more people begin to pay attention to weight management, trying to get rid of their belly fat and maintain a healthy body shape through various means. However, when people really face weight management, they find that challenges and confusions also come with it.

2. Can fasting be beneficial for the body beyond weight management?

Nowadays, various methods emerge in an endless stream. However, faced with so many choices, the public often feels at a loss on the road to weight management. Some people believe that the core of weight management lies in strict control of diet, and reducing intake is the key. Therefore, methods such as "eating less" and "fasting" have become the first choice for some people. However, what are the actual effects of these methods on the body? There are many studies currently trying to scientifically verify the effectiveness of these methods.

Fasting for two days a week can improve fatty liver

On May 7, a research team from the German Cancer Research Center published a research paper titled "A 5:2 intermittent fasting regimen ameliorates NASH and fibrosis and blunts HCC development via hepatic PPARα and PCK1" in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Research shows that the 5:2 fasting method (i.e. eating regularly for 5 days a week and eating less or fasting for the other 2 days) can help prevent non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and improve established NASH and fibrosis without affecting total calorie intake. The results suggest that the 5:2 fasting method may be an effective intervention strategy to combat NASH and its potential consequences.

Fasting for 14 hours a day can improve fatty liver

On July 29, a research team from Peking University published a research paper titled "A microbial metabolite inhibits the HIF-2α-ceramide pathway to mediate the beneficial effects of time-restricted feeding on MASH" in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Studies have shown that fasting for 14 hours a day can improve fatty liver, and this improvement is related to the significant enrichment of Ruminococcus (R. torques) in the intestine. Ruminococcus can improve liver inflammation and fibrosis by producing 2-hydroxy-4-methylvaleric acid (HMP). The results show that Ruminococcus and its metabolite HMP may be able to mimic the benefits of intermittent fasting in improving fatty liver. This finding provides a new strategy for people who find it difficult to stick to intermittent fasting for a long time.

Fasting may slow brain aging

On June 19, researchers from the National Institute on Aging published a research paper titled "Brain responses to intermittent fasting and the healthy living diet in older adults" in the journal Cell Metabolism.

This randomized clinical trial showed that both 5:2 intermittent fasting and a healthy living diet improved peripheral metabolic indicators, including weight, BMI, waist circumference, circulating lipids, and peripheral insulin resistance indicators. Fasting caused BMI, weight, and average daily calorie intake to drop by about one-fold compared to a healthy living diet. At the same time, both diets slowed brain aging in elderly participants and improved memory and executive function.

However, some studies have shown that fasting may be harmful to the body.

Fasting may damage your immune system

Recently, a research team from the United States published a research paper titled "Monocytes re-enter the bone marrow during fasting and alter the host response to infection" in Immunity.

The study divided mice into a control group, a fasting-refeeding group, and a continuous fasting group. The control group was free to eat, and the other two groups were randomly divided into a fasting-refeeding group and a continuous fasting group after a group of mice fasted for 28 hours (drinking water was unlimited), and verified by measuring white blood cell values.

The results found that fasting causes the distribution pattern of white blood cells to be rearranged. Compared with the corresponding tissues of non-fasting animals, the number of Ly-6Chi monocytes in all tissues except the bone marrow decreased; fasting caused Ly-6Chi monocytes to return from the circulation to the bone marrow. Fasting and refeeding affect the response of Ly-6Chi monocytes to external stimuli, increase inflammation, thereby changing the host response and leading to higher mortality.

3. To defeat magic with magic, weight management should start with diet

On the basis of uncertainty about whether these methods are effective, some people have begun to explore greener and healthier ways of weight management, such as light meals: by choosing healthier and more comprehensive foods to replace high-fat, high-sugar foods, they can not only meet the nutritional needs of the body, but also effectively control calorie intake.

Among the consumer groups pursuing lightness, meal replacement has gradually become one of the choices favored by many people. By taking nutritionally balanced and calorie-controlled alternative meals, they can replace part or all of the daily meals. According to the "China ‌‌‌‌Meal Replacement‌‌ Industry Development Status Analysis and Investment Prospects Research Report (2024-2031)", many types of meal replacement products have emerged.

Meal replacement products are showing a diversified development trend in the market, and they seem to be more easily accepted by the public because they ensure that the consumer can meet the body's basic nutritional needs without taking in too many calories by taking in fixed nutrients.