I know that intermittent fasting is good for health since I have seen numerous people practicing once or twice a week fasting who maintain excellent health and have a longer life span, and they usually  drink plenty of water. However, I am not aware of any systematic scientific  studies on that. Thinking on this I came up with the following reasoning. During digestion and metabolic processing of foods the body generates lots of toxins due to free radicals formation. These continue accumulating in the digestive tracts and adipose tissue generating adverse effects. Intermittent fasting would help in clearing the accumulated toxins, preventing adverse effects.    

Intermittent fasting is not a diet, it’s a pattern of eating. It’s a way of scheduling your meals so that you get the most out of them. Intermittent fasting doesn’t change whatyou eat, it changes when you eat. If some one skip breakfast each day and eat two meals, the first around 1pm and the second around 8pm. Then,he fast for 16 hours until he start eating again the next day at 1pm.

It increase  muscle mass (up 10 pounds from 205 to 215), and decreases body fat (down 3% from 14% to 11%), increases explosiveness (set a personal best with a clean and jerk of 253 pounds a few months back), and decreasee the amount of time spent in training (down from 7.5 hours per week to 2.5 hours per week).

Person feels stronger, leaner, and more explosive even though he go to the gym less and eat less. It changes the  lifestyle and there are tons of health benefits of intermittent fasting.

Given the human empathy, assuming one has some left, at the very least fasting gives one a reason to pause and contemplate the plight of those less fortunate than us.

Other than that, absolutely no benefit, if one keeps over-consuming calories while using less on a routine basis; in other words, keeps growing like a tree throughout the life-span.  ;)

However, under the near-equilibrium conditions, where the consumption of calories closely matches what is consumes everyday, it stands to reason that one may have some benefits in reducing circulating levels lipids, glucose and insulin during prolonged fasting periods. But this will be consequential only if during the feeding period, post-fasting, one doesn't gorge themselves to (over)compensate for the missed food during fasting.

fasting is governed by cultural practices in countries like india although from health aspects or angles of obesity it does not seem to offer any benefits -rathr it is the strict diet control that is observed with a negative balance than what was observed earlier along with exercize goes a long way i helping in every way in improving glucose utilization ,maintainance of weight reduction  and keeping the cholesterol and triglyceride levels in check .

I totally agree with Kulvinder!

There is some good evidence of efficacy of intermittent fasting on different cardiovascular risk factors in humans, at least in the short-term:

• Tinsley GM, La Bounty PM. Effects of intermittent fasting on body composition and clinical health markers in humans. Nutr Rev. 2015 Oct;73(10):661-74
• Horne BD et al., Health effects of intermittent fasting: hormesis or harm? A systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr 2015 102: 2 464-470
• Rothschild J, Hoddy KK, Jambazian P, Varady KA.. Time-restricted feeding and risk of metabolic disease: a review of human and animal studies. Nutr Rev. 2014 May;72(5):308-18
• Hoddy KK, Kroeger CM, Trepanowski JF, Barnosky A, Bhutani S, Varady KA. Meal timing during alternate day fasting: Impact on body weight and cardiovascular disease risk in obese adults. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2014 Dec;22(12):2524-31

You should look for the research of Valter Longo, Luigi Fontana and Krista Varady.

Dear Mohamed Anwar Hammad

Intermittent fasting leads to increased insulin sensitivity, reduced LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and increased HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).

Please have a look at these useful RG links and PDF attachments.

Article Effects of intermittent fasting on glucose and lipid metabolism

Article The effect of intermittent fasting on insulin sensitivity - ...

Article Intermittent fasting: A dietary intervention for prevention ...

Article Effects of intermittent fasting on metabolism in men

Article Intermittent fasting: A dietary intervention for prevention ...

Article Intermittent fasting combined with calorie restriction is ef...

Article Impact of intermittent fasting on glucose homeostasis

Article Intermittent fasting vs daily calorie restriction for type 2...

Thanks!

I agree with Dr. Arvind Singh

I agree with Tushar Kanti Ray

Very good discussion!

Intermittent Fasting IF is a way to longevity of life, through cell recycling. The Nobel Prize discovery identifies the autophagy or self repair of cells in specifically cancer and neurological disease. IF/Autophagy counteracts the negative consequences of aging.

IF allows body to maintain low insulin levels, which starts after 12–14 hours of fasting. When insulin hormone level is low, other growth hormones are over active. This helps maintain a good physique without bothering too much on resistance exercise. Or in other words, IF multiplies the benefits of physical exercise.

Low insulin is the result of low blood sugar, which improves insulin sensitivity of muscles and organs (liver) of type 2 diabetes patients.

In general, lifestyle diseases of Diabetes and Hypertension can be prevented or reversed through IF. Dr Jason Fung of Canada has reversed T2D conditions of many patients through IF. See his blogs for science behind IF in treating T2D.

Dr Mohamed Anwar Hammad , Fasting is definitely good for health.

Suppression of free radical production.

Intermittent fasting enhances the function of autophagy.

This will remove old mitochondria and strengthen the work of replacing them with new ones.

Since many of the free radicals produced in the body are released from this aged mitochondria, removing such mitochondria leads to suppression of the production of free radicals.

This will protect your body from oxidative stress.

Please have a look at the following link:

Article Intermittent fasting, a possible priming tool for host defen...

Intermittent Fasting is a good for our health especially for our digestive system.

Please follow the link below:

Article Intermittent Fasting: The Choice for a Healthier Lifestyle

Mohamed Anwar Hammad

Please also see the following useful link.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S104327602100134X

Thanks!