Impact of Intermittent Fasting on Female Hormones, According to Scientists
Intermittent fasting, specifically the 'warrior diet' approach, might have an impact on women's reproductive hormones, according to a study by UIC Nutrition Professor Krista Varady. This study, published in the journal Obesity, monitored a group of obese pre- and post-menopausal women who followed the warrior diet for eight weeks.
So, what's the warrior diet all about? It's a form of intermittent fasting where dieters have a four-hour window each day to eat without counting calories before beginning a water fast. For better clarity, let's dive into it. On the warrior diet, individuals can feast freely within their four-hour eating window.
Blood samples from participants with 4- and 6-hour feeding windows, along with a control group without dietary restrictions, were analyzed to measure hormonal differences.
Interestingly, after eight weeks, the levels of sex-binding globulin (SBG), a protein that transports reproductive hormones, remained unchanged. Similarly, both testosterone and androstenedione, which produce testosterone and estrogen in the body, exhibited the same behavior.
However, a potential concern arises from a 14 percent drop in DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) levels observed in pre- and post-menopausal women. DHEA is a hormone that fertility clinics recommend to improve ovarian function and egg quality. Moreover, a decrease in DHEA levels in pre-menopausal women should be weighed against the proven effects of lower body mass on fertility. On the flip side, the drop in DHEA levels in post-menopausal women may be concerning due to estrogen's primary component being DHEA.
Low estrogen post-menopause, however, didn't seem to cause negative side effects like sexual dysfunction or skin changes. Additionally, Varady suggested that, since women with high DHEA levels face a higher risk of breast cancer, a moderate drop may help lower this risk.
This study also measured estradiol, estrone, and progesterone levels, but only in post-menopausal women as these hormones fluctuate during the menstrual cycle of pre-menopausal women. All these hormones are vital for pregnancy development, but they did not change significantly in post-menopausal women after eight weeks of dieting.
The dieters in the four- and six-hour dieting groups lost between 3 and 4% of their starting weight, while the control group barely lost any weight. Furthermore, the dieters reported a decrease in oxidative stress biomarkers and insulin resistance with no women in their 40s in the study who were perimenopausal.
Professor Varady believes this is just the beginning. "We have observed thousands of pre- and post-menopausal women with alternate-day fasting and time-restricted eating methods. All it does is make you eat less. By shortening the eating window, you will naturally reduce your calorie intake," Varady said.
However, Varady cautions that studies on mice and rats have given most of the negative information regarding intermittent fasting. More human-centric studies are necessary to fully understand the effects of intermittent fasting, particularly the warrior diet, on women's reproductive hormones and overall health.
In summary, the warrior diet, as studied by Krista Varady, may have implications on women's reproductive hormones, specifically DHEA levels, but more research is needed to confirm these findings and understand its long-term effects on women's health.
The warrior diet, as studied by Krista Varady, might impact the levels of DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) in women, particularly pre- and post-menopausal women, as a 14 percent drop was observed after eight weeks. This diet could potentially influence womens-health, particularly in relation to reproductive health and fertility, but further human-centric research is necessary to confirm these findings and understand its long-term effects on women's health, including health-and-wellness, women's health, and nutrition.
