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To Evaluate the Impact of Fasting on Performance

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To Evaluate the Impact of Fasting on Performance

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a common eating pattern that entails alternating periods of

calorie restriction and overeating. Emerging evidence demonstrates that IF provides health and

athletic performance advantages beyond only assisting weight loss (Mandal et al., 2022). Fasting

for short periods (often between 12 and 16 hours) has gained popularity as a nutritional strategy

for increasing athletes' metabolic and training performance. This is the only study to our

knowledge to examine the impact of fasting versus a stomach on indicators of metabolic

endurance during very high-intensity, relatively brief activity.

Many professional athletes and their coaches have long held the misconception that

fasting impairs athletic performance. This misconception prompted researchers to begin studying

the topic a decade ago. Different types of fasting were studied to determine their effects on

athletic performance. However, the Ramadan fast (as required by the Islamic religion) is rising in

popularity due to its distinctive characteristics. There was a resurgence of curiosity on Ramadan-

style intermittent fasting because both the London 2012 Olympics and the FIFA 2014 Soccer

World Cup took place in the holy month (Maughan, 2010). This review systematically examines

the literature on the synergistic effects of fasting and exercise on muscle mass, physiological

responses, and athletic performance in sedentary and active individuals. Many people indicate

that their daily caloric intake remains relatively constant during Ramadan and that the only

change is in the scheduling of their meals (Levy & Chu, 2019). A person's diet and food

preferences are entirely up to them.

Many people who try IF claim improvements in their mental and spiritual well-being

during their fasts. Reduced systemic inflammation has also been linked to IF's long-term effects.

Two potential health benefits of IF are reduced systemic inflammation and increased autophagy
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(Levy & Chu, 2019). The timing of meals is another area in which the circadian clock can help

improve performance and function, as well as the efficiency and health of important

physiological systems. If we can learn more about these circadian effects, we can use that

knowledge to make informed decisions about how to adopt IF (Mandal et al., 2022). Consuming

food during specific times of the day, such as when digestion and absorption of nutrients are at

their peak or when energy is generated mostly through the breakdown of carbohydrates, may

help achieve this goal. There is apprehension about high-intensity exercise because it relies on

glucose availability during activities like cycling to exhaustion or sprinting.

The majority of IF studies have concerned themselves with long-term physical exertion.

Deprivation of certain foods for an extended period may negatively affect performance in

training and competition. There is growing evidence that a healthy diet might enhance the

adaptive mechanisms of organs to exercise. There is proof for mood shifts during Ramadan,

consistent with the established psychological alterations linked with fasting (Maughan, 2010).

Several investigations on fasting elite athletes throughout Ramadan have indicated that fasting

slows them down. These factors may impair functionality across various tasks, particularly those

requiring sustained mental concentration. Fasting's impacts on physical performance have

traditionally received the lion's share of research attention. However, recent years have brought a

growing awareness of the necessity to evaluate the consequences on the cognitive abilities that

underlie athletic performance (Levy & Chu, 2019). Maintaining a healthy weight, getting a good

night's sleep, and speeding up the recovery process are all possible outcomes of scheduling meals

following athletes' circadian cycles and exercise requirements.

In conclusion, there is a wide range of research on athletic performance throughout IF,

and the findings could be more consistent. However, no study has shown an increase in any
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measure of athletic performance. In today's society, IF customs are widespread and well

accepted. More research is needed to determine the effects of long-term fasting on productivity.
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References

Levy, E., & Chu, T. (2019). Intermittent fasting and its effects on athletic performance: A

review. Current sports medicine reports, 18(7), 266-269.

Mandal, S., Simmons, N., Awan, S., Chamari, K., & Ahmed, I. (2022). Intermittent fasting:

Eating by the clock for health and exercise performance. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise

Medicine, 8(1), e001206.

Maughan, R. J. (2010). Fasting and sport: an introduction.