Eli5: Can someone break down the health benefits of intermittent fasting and why it’s gaining in popularity? How can NOT eating regular meals be healthy?

Question

Eli5: Can someone break down the health benefits of intermittent fasting and why it’s gaining in popularity? How can NOT eating regular meals be healthy?

In: Biology

Answer 1

The most important points are anabolic vs. catabolic pathways in the body. Anabolic means building up, and catabolic means breaking down. Eating food, obviously, tells your body to start building stuff like fat and muscle.

When you give your body lots of time to break stuff down, it becomes more efficient and recycles more unhealthy cells. It gives the body more time to repair damage done to it, especially to the digestive track.