Is intermittent fasting good for digestion?
The gut does housekeep between meals: waves of movement sweep debris when the stomach is empty, and constant grazing interrupts them. Many people simply feel better with defined meals and an overnight gap of twelve hours or so.
Formal intermittent fasting helps some with weight, mostly by containing eating hours, and modestly improves reflux for late-night eaters.
It is not required for a healthy gut, and it suits shift workers, diabetics on medication and anyone with a history of disordered eating poorly. Stopping eating three hours before bed captures most of the digestive benefit alone.
See a doctor promptly if
- Blood in the stool, or black tarry stools
- A persistent change in bowel habit lasting more than three weeks, especially over the age of 45
- Unintentional weight loss, or a new lump or swelling in the abdomen
- Constipation with vomiting and no passage of wind. This needs urgent assessment
See your own numbers2 min, free, nothing to installProtein in grams for your weight, and a week built round what you already eat.
The diets, compared honestlyMediterranean, fasting, keto and plants, each with who it actually fits
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
Unglamorous and well proven
Daily psyllium helps constipation, modestly lowers cholesterol, and steadies blood sugar after meals. Start small and drink water with it.
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