Think Skipping Meals Is Good For You? Here's Something That Will Make You Reconsider
Skipping meals might seem harmless or even helpful, but it can disrupt your body in surprising ways. Here's what actually happens inside when you go without food.
In
our busy lives, skipping meals may feel like a great shortcut to save
some time and even shed a few kilos in the way of doing so, but is it as
structured and helpful as intermittent fasting? The answer is no! While
both of these methods involve going without food for a certain period
of time, how they affect your body and how your body reacts to it is
what really makes the difference.
What happens when you skip meals?
When
you skip meals you are initiating a series of metabolic and hormonal
adaptations that can place a significant physiological stress on the
body, says Dr. CC Nair, internal medicine specialist, Lilavati Hospital,
Mumbai.
Blood sugar drops: When
there is a reduction in calorie intake, it causes glucose levels to
decline as well and this impairs the glucose availability for brain
function. This leads to symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, cognitive
slowing and irritability.
Short-term stress: Your body produces more cortisol (the stress hormone) and uses up stored sugar (glycogen) available in the liver.
Switching energy sources:
If fasting continues to happen for a long period of time, the body
starts breaking down fat (lipolysis) and muscle (proteolysis) to produce
energy.
Muscle loss risk: Frequent
or prolonged fasting can lead to muscle breakdown and slow down your
metabolism. This ends up lowering your basic metabolic rate (BMR).
Hormone disruption:
Skipping meals can also interfere with the insulin that is produced in
the body (it also manages blood sugar) and leptin (which controls
hunger), leading to hormonal imbalances.
Digestive issues: Irregular
eating patterns can upset your gut’s natural rhythm because it wouldn’t
know when to expect food and this ultimately leads to digestive
problems.
Overeating: Last
but not the least, you may end up eating more later in the day (this is
also called compensatory hyperphagia) because you wouldn’t know when
your body has had enough food that it needs. This can raise the risk of
heart and metabolic diseases.