We all know that we must not overeat. It’s always good to remain a little hungry. The Japanese saying that means "remain a little hungry" or eating until you are 80% full is hara hachi bu (腹八分目). In the United States we do not have that saying. What we do have is an obesity problem with older adults in the US.
Obesity rates among older Americans have climbed significantly over recent decades, doubling from roughly 22% in the early 1990s to around 40% today. This is nearly twice the rate of Japan. Obesity is rising, with a third of Japanese men (32%) and a quarter (24%) of Japanese women aged 60 and older being obese. In most cases, the body works better with fewer calories.
Staying a little hungry is good for the body. Caloric restriction can work both by eating fewer calories per day or by fasting for 10 hours a day. Fasting might be the easiest way to achieve this by eating mid-afternoon, giving your body five hours to digest before going to sleep. Then overnight, this is where the magic happens, when the body recycles fat and other dead cells for energy. This has been shown to result in lower body weight and less body fat, improved insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, and reduced inflammation. There are some problems, however.
Some medications must be taken with food, making it difficult to fast. It also means that you have to be more careful to ensure that you have a balanced diet that includes protein to reduce muscle loss and essential minerals to maintain healthy nerves. Women gain less from fasting than men, as sometimes fasting raises stress hormone levels, causing fatigue or sleep issues. In general, eating fewer calories is beneficial for the body.
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