How fasting affects women's hormones and stress hormones | Dr. Mark Mattson
Get the full length version of this episode as a podcast.
This episode will make a great companion for a long drive.
The BDNF Protocol Guide
An essential checklist for cognitive longevity — filled with specific exercise, heat stress, and omega-3 protocols for boosting BDNF. Enter your email, and we'll deliver it straight to your inbox.
Dr. Mattson discusses the lack of evidence to suggest that intermittent fasting impairs fertility in women or otherwise disrupts hormone balance. While no studies have been done in humans, research in rats has found that intermittent fasting does not interfere with estrous cycling, but extreme caloric restriction halts the estrous cycle. The safety of intermittent fasting in adolescent girls with or without being overweight has not been studied. While intermittent fasting does increase stress hormones in animal studies, this stress response promotes longevity, unlike the response to chronic, uncontrolled stress. In this clip, Dr. Mark Mattson delivers an overview of the research investigating the effects of intermittent fasting on female and stress hormones.
This transcript is reserved for members.
FoundMyFitness Members get access to exclusive content not available anywhere else, including a transcript of this episode.
You wouldn't believe how cool being a premium member of the world's best cross-disciplinary science-focused website and podcast really is.
Latin for "at one's pleasure" or "as you desire." In biology, this term is used to describe "free feeding."
A glucocorticoid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Cortisol levels fluctuate as part of the diurnal cycle and in response to stress and hypoglycemia. Cortisol increases blood sugar, suppresses the immune system, and aids in the metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
A region of the forebrain below the thalamus that coordinates both the autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activity.
Member only extras:
Learn more about the advantages of a premium membership by clicking below.
Hear new content from Rhonda on The Aliquot, our member's only podcast
Listen in on our regularly curated interview segments called "Aliquots" released every week on our premium podcast The Aliquot. Aliquots come in two flavors: features and mashups.
- Hours of deep dive on topics like fasting, sauna, child development surfaced from our enormous collection of members-only Q&A episodes.
- Important conversational highlights from our interviews with extra commentary and value. Short but salient.
Comments
Fasting News
- A fasting-mimicking diet improved effectiveness and reduced toxicity of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.
- Exercise mitigates muscle mass losses during severe energy deficit by inhibiting the induction of autophagy.
- Time-restricted eating, a ketogenic diet, and exercise improved cognitive function and markers of metabolism in a woman with ApoE4 and Alzheimer's .
- A clinical trial found a fasting-mimicking diet decreased biomarkers of inflammation in humans. In mice, it reversed pathologies linked to Crohn's.
- Intermittent fasting could improve obese women's health
