How Partial Intermittent Fasting Helps Athletes Lose Weight, Keep Muscle and Improve Performance11/8/2022
In most sports activities, athletes constantly look for ways to lose weight and maintain their muscles for competitive benefits. An example of these athletes includes anyone who is into any form of fitness tournament, combat sports, and bodybuilding. When it comes to dieting for athletes, problems are bound to arise most times because food calories are usually restricted. This can hinder their performances and can cause them to lose muscle. A group of sports scientists from the Olympic Training Center in Barcelona used special dietary protocols to conduct research that suggests that athletes can succeed in keeping their muscle and improve their performance through a calorie restriction program. The study explained that this can be achieved through daily bouts of intermittent partial fasting. In the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition the researchers wrote that:’’after six weeks of participating in a caloric restriction program based on intermittent partial fasting, athletes’ physical performance was enhanced’’. The research showed that the athletes lost an average amount of weight by the end of the study, primarily related to a substantial 15 percent reduction in body fat. Even with modest weight loss, the athletes’ lean body mass only reduced by less than 3 percent. The research also showed there was a significant improvement in physical performance, lower heart rates, lactate levels, and fatigue perception. Overall, the athletes had an improved energy expenditure. The results show that the partial fasting intervention facilitated effective use of energy when carrying out physical activity. The scientists theorized that these improvements can be explained by improved mitochondria efficiency which is an energy-producing structure inside cells. Combining Higher Protein with Intermittent Fasting The research included 12 healthy male athletes who trained consistently throughout the week. Their energy intake was reduced by 30 to 40 percent concerning their usual diet by rotating three fasting days with four normal eating days per week for six weeks. Each participant consumed almost 77 grams of protein daily or roughly 1 gram of protein per kilogram bodyweight. Even though the scientists in this research observed only a minor decrease in lean body mass, they pointed out that this ’’could probably be avoided by increasing protein intake to around 2.3 grams per kilogram of body weight or by supplementing the diet with branched-chain amino acids that maintain lean mass while promoting the loss of fat mass.’’ An increased protein intake for athletes is a standard method to even out muscle loss when it’s time to make a restriction on calories. Protein intake assists in maintaining and improving performance during intake. Recently, two separate performance studies involving Isagenix products. The participants, including both men and women, consumed 2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight including protein from Isagenix products, and had meaningful improvements in muscular performance. The researchers also stated that partial intermittent fasting reduced the athletes’ daily vitamin and mineral intake that led to values lower than the recommended dietary compensations for athletes. To prevent avert micronutrient deficiency, researchers suggest the inclusion of vitamin and mineral supplements in athletes’ diets. The study also shows that athletes could find similar performance benefits when they use the Isagenix System Cleanse Days. They can also use a modified protocol on Shake Days with high protein IsaLean Pro Shakes, proper calorie intake to fuel performance, and supplements to avoid micronutrient deficiencies. References
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