What's Happening When You Fast?

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It seems your whole body changes metabolic state during a fast. In terms of precisely how much? There is no real consensus in this area. Many people think you can probably get away with having up to 50 calories before you're at a risk of breaking your fast. But while there are clean fasters and dirty fasters, there are also the purists who don't even entertain black coffee or tea. It's water all the way.

Fasting has been shown to improve our metabolism, slow disease and potentially increase our life span. While world religions have practiced fasting for millennia, the trend of fasting has soared in popularity in the last decade.

Not all fasts are made equally and there are a lot of different rules to follow. Some purists argue that you’re only allowed water while fasting others believe there can be more flexibility during your period of abstinence.

In today’s daily episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan is joined by Tim Spector to answer the question: what breaks a fast?

This episode is part of a limited series to celebrate the launch of The Big IF Study: The world’s biggest clinical study to discover how intermittent fasting affects our mood, energy and hunger levels. Want to know if intermittent fasting can work for you?

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

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This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.