Fasting For Just 17 Hours A Day Can Repair DNA And Help You Age Better—Here's The Best Way To Do It

Intermittent fasting is a huge trend right now that many people have found success with, whether it's for weight loss or overall vibrancy. However, fasting should be approached intentionally, not just as a period of time where you forget to eat. Many studies have come out recently to show the health benefits of fasting, particularly for people who have abnormal work hours or travel a lot. Mike Mutzel, health and nutrition expert, shared some recent data that showed how fasting every day for 30 days can produce amazing results for repairing DNA and improving cell function.

Fasting for Just 17 Hours a Day Can Repair DNA and Help You Age Better

Mike shared information from a new study in which participants fasted for 17-19 hours a day in order to "enhance fat loss, metabolic health and bio markers linked to longevity, as well as cancer prevention." Just 30 days of fasting showed an increase of P53, which is known as a "tumor suppressor protein that can help repair DNA." Mike says this is particularly important for people who work nights or odd hours, people who are flight attendants or who travel a lot for work, or even X-ray technicians who are often exposed to ionizing radiation.

Overall, this level of fasting "significantly increases protective metabolites that are linked with aging and potentially cancer reduction." It also doubled the level of autophagy initiation proteins in the body. "Autophagy is a cellular cleanup process," Mike explained. "It's involved in clearing aggregate proteins and deranged cellular organelles like mitochondria."

The study also showed an improvement in "senescent biomarkers." Senescence is an irreversible growth that can cause damage to the DNA and telomere shortening. In other words, fasting 17-19 hours a day can help the body age better and combat the negative effects of ongoing stress.

"Your lifestyle impacts our metabolism and how we age," he added. So for many people who work odd jobs like the graveyard shift, there are more relevant factors than simply eating healthy food and moving the body often. Just daily, consistent fasting improves various aspects of metabolic health and can even help prevent cancer and DNA damage.

His hope for sharing this information is that people don't overdo it when it comes to fasting. Some people like to get "aggressive" with fasting and try to refrain from eating for days at a time, but this is not only useless but can even lead to other issues. Keep it simple: Aim to fast every day for a solid chunk of time in order to access autophagy, DNA repair, and metabolic health.

Here's the Best Way To Fast for Healthy Hormones

There are a few other things to keep in mind when you're fasting. Women who are trying to balance their hormones and achieve a healthy, manageable menstrual cycle need to address their blood sugar. Maintaining a level blood sugar throughout the day plays a big role in hormonal balance, and the best way to keep your blood sugar balanced is to eat a protein-rich breakfast within 30-60 minutes of waking up in the morning. This also can help your adrenal glands, and it sets the tone for the rest of the day in terms of how many calories you're going to eat (in other words, it will prevent overeating).

So the best way to fast while also aiming for optimal hormones is to arrange your fasting window around your breakfast. Think about what time you wake up in the morning. If it's 6 a.m., you should plan to eat breakfast no later than 7 a.m., which means you can work backward from there and plan to eat your last meal of the day between 2-4 p.m. Your fasting window doesn't have to be exactly 17-19 hours. Just as long as you're achieving a clear, consistent fasting window, you are going to reap the benefits of intermittent fasting.

Another thing to keep in mind is eating meals every couple hours throughout the day, as this helps you balance your blood sugar and prevents you from overeating. Rather than eating two huge meals before your eating window is over, consider breaking it up into several small meals throughout the day. This will also help with better digestion and prevent bloating.

An even easier formula to follow is this: Eat an early dinner and eat a high-protein breakfast first thing in the morning. You can even think of it as a "light diet." Eat when it's light outside and fast when it's dark outside. This isn't going to give you an exact 17-hour fast; however, it will still give you a solid fast that will not only help you repair your DNA and age better, but also maintain hormonal balance and a healthy menstrual cycle.