Depending on one’s health needs, medics say intermittent fasting might be used for weight management or as a method to address chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, high cholesterol, or arthritis.

To understand intermittent fasting, it’s ideal to keep in mind that this is an eating plan that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule.

According to Joseph Uwiragiye, head of nutrition at University Teaching Hospital (CHUK), intermittent fasting mainly focuses on when one is supposed to eat, unlike many diets which focus on what to eat.

Intermittent fasting, means that one is only supposed to eat during a specific time.

This, he says implies that one fast for a certain number of hours each day or eating just one meal a couple of days a week, which has been evident to help the body burn fat.

He says that studies have shown that having extra calories and less activity puts one at a higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses, adding that intermittent fasting is one of the methods shown to help reverse these trends.

However, the nutritionist notes although this comes with a lot of health benefits, it’s just ideal for anyone to consult a healthcare practitioner before starting out intermittent fasting.

 How should this be done

According to studies, there are several different ways to do intermittent fasting, but they are all based on choosing regular time periods to eat and fast.

For instance, studies state that one might try eating only during an eight-hour period each day and fast for the remainder. Alternatively, one might choose to eat only one meal a day two days a week.

Private Kamanzi, a dietician and nutritionist says it has been proven that after-hours without food, the body exhausts its sugar stores and starts burning fat, which is normally referred to as metabolic switching.

Another way of doing this, he says one can as well pick a daily approach, which restricts daily eating to one six- to eight-hour period each day.

For instance, one may choose to try 16/8 fasting: eating for eight hours and fasting for 16.

"This method can take two to four weeks before the body becomes accustomed to it. For the beginners, they may feel hungry while they are getting used to it, but with time, one gets used to it,” he says.

Longer periods without food, such as 24, 36, 48, and 72-hour fasting periods, are not necessarily better for you and may be dangerous. Going too long without eating might actually encourage your body to start storing more fat in response to starvation.

Health benefits

Alexis Mucumbitsi, the head of the Nutrition and Hygiene Department in the National Early Childhood Care and Development Program (NECDP), says for those individuals who can do intermittent fasting safely, it can be a lifestyle change.

He points out that research shows that intermittent fasting periods do more than burn fat, and there is a range of health benefits associated with the practice including longer life, a leaner body, and a sharper mind.

He mentions that during intermittent fasting, many things happen that can protect organs against chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, age-related neurodegenerative disorders among other benefits.

In addition to this, Mucumbitsi says intermittent fasting has also been linked to improving one’s thinking and memory, as it boosts working and verbal memory.

Also, Kamanzi says intermittent fasting helps improve heart health in general, and that this includes improved blood pressure and resting heart rates as well as other heart-related measurements.

When it comes to physical, he says intermittent fasting improves one's physical performance as it tends to reduce fat and maintain muscle mass.

Staying away from obesity and improving tissue health are some of the other benefits that come along with practicing intermittent fasting.

Meanwhile, Kamanzi advises that it’s ideal to always seek nutritionist advice so that they help guide you on the healthy food you should consume to prevent health-related issues that might come as a result of food restriction.