Intermittent fasting and women’s hormones don’t always mix, says Marcelle Pick. Here are her top tips for safer fasting and better hormonal balance
Anyone searching for ways to lose weight has surely stumbled across intermittent fasting—for good reason. There are myriad benefits to eating this way, and people are seeing such great results, they want to share the news.
I’ve been suggesting that women try intermittent fasting for several years. It can help your body—and your brain—function better by reducing inflammation.
Research has demonstrated that fasting decreases inflammatory activity and the number of cytokines the body produces.1 Inflammation has an impact on so many conditions, and on your ability to lose weight. So reducing systemic inflammation is vital.
And that’s not the only benefit of intermittent fasting. Others include improved mood, better energy, increased cardiovascular function, longer life expectancy, a healthier relationship with food, and of course fat burning and weight loss (a big reason people adopt this lifestyle these days).
But as with anything, you need to be well informed before trying it. I’ve heard some valid concerns about intermittent fasting and how it can impact hormonal balance. For some women, especially those already struggling with imbalanced hormones, intermittent fasting can increase symptoms, including weight gain. That rather defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?
That’s why it’s critical to consider your own unique circumstances when approaching any weight loss journey. There’s simply no program that’s right for everyone. But intermittent fasting works for many people, partly because it doesn’t limit what you eat.
Fasting means going for a specified period of time without eating. But beyond that simple definition, fasting can get confusing. There are so many ways to fast: skipping one meal a day, eating one meal a day, fasting on alternate days, fasting for 24 hours a couple times a week, setting a specific window of time for eating each day.
It can be hard to know which one is the “right” one. And the truth is, the answer may be different for everyone (we are, after all, unique individuals).
An important point to understand is that intermittent fasting is all about when you eat; there aren’t typically restrictions on what you can eat. Still, a healthy diet is key to sustained weight loss and good health, so don’t expect to be able to binge on desserts and fried foods whenever you do eat and still lose weight. And you should realize that if you have unaddressed food sensitivities, intermittent fasting won’t make them disappear.
So, it’s not a free-for-all, and it’s not about going wild during your eating window. But it’s a lot simpler than having special food to eat and rules to remember.
There’s no calorie counting, no measuring, no expensive shakes or special “diet” food. Simply eat a well-balanced diet full of fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood and lean protein within your eating times. And yes, you can throw a treat or two in now and again.
Intermittent fasting is a lifestyle, not a diet. Fad diets are unsustainable; no one can stay on them forever. But with intermittent fasting, once you set the routine, you’re on your way to lifelong healthy habits.
Research has shown that intermittent fasting provides many health benefits beyond weight loss. The following are just a few of them.
Heart health
Heart disease is the world’s leading cause of death, according to the World Health Organization. Some of the top risk factors for heart disease are high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol and high triglyceride concentrations (fats in the blood).
Some research has shown that intermittent fasting can lower all of these, though the studies have been small and further research is needed. Still, even the possibility that it can help lower the risk of heart disease is encouraging since heart problems claim so many lives.
Diabetes
Diabetes has been steadily increasing in the US and the UK for decades. Intermittent fasting has a positive impact on some risk factors for type 2 diabetes, specifically by lowering insulin levels and reducing insulin resistance.
One randomized, controlled study of more than 100 obese or overweight young women found that intermittent fasting for six months reduced insulin levels by 29 percent and insulin resistance by 19 percent.2 Other research has shown that intermittent fasting lowered insulin levels 20–31 percent and blood sugar levels by 3–6 percent in people with prediabetes in just eight to 12 weeks.3
But there are two sides to every story: A small study showed a negative impact on blood sugar control in women (but not men) after 22 days of alternate-day fasting.4 This is a great demonstration of how fasting can have different impacts on women than on men. That’s why it’s important to know how and when intermittent fasting may work best for you.
Inflammation
Some research has shown that intermittent fasting can reduce some of the key markers of inflammation, including interleukin-6, C-reactive protein and homocysteine (for more about homocysteine, see WDDTY December 2024).
A small study conducted during Ramadan, for instance, showed significantly lower levels of each of these markers during fasting (which happens during daylight hours for a month) compared to levels taken one week before Ramadan began.5 Other research has had similar results, though more research is required to really understand the impact of fasting on inflammation.
Psychological health
Beyond physical health, research has also demonstrated that intermittent fasting can have a positive impact on mood and overall psychological well-being. It can decrease depression and binge eating as well as improve body image in obese adults.6
Muscle mass
When compared to traditional calorie restriction diets, animal studies show that intermittent fasting seems to help retain muscle mass.7 And a 2011 review of research found that obese people who practiced alternate-day fasting didn’t lose as much lean mass as those restricting calories daily.8 For most people, weight loss is about getting rid of unsightly fat, not muscle.
Weight loss
Aside from religious fasting, the primary reason many people try intermittent fasting is to lose weight. Research indicates that intermittent fasting is as effective for short-term weight loss as traditional calorie-restricting diets.9
And because you can make intermittent fasting a part of a regular healthy lifestyle, you can sustain it for far longer than many traditional diets. That’s because traditional “diets” often have an end point, and once calories are no longer tightly monitored, the weight can come right back.
With all those benefits, you might be wondering why someone wouldn’t try it. I do recommend it to most of my clients—as long as they take specific factors into account.
Weight loss is a complicated matter for anyone, but particularly so for some women, it seems. These women have reported serious issues when trying intermittent fasting, including binge eating, a pause in menstrual cycles, metabolic disturbances and early-onset menopause, even in younger women. While much of this evidence is anecdotal, I’ve heard it often enough to recommend caution when starting a regimen of intermittent fasting.
Talking with a trusted healthcare professional is crucial to approaching fasting in a careful, thoughtful way. Every woman has unique circumstances, some of which may make their bodies highly sensitive to calorie restriction.
In some women, calorie restriction can lead to lower metabolism, fatigue, loss of fertility, nutrient deficiencies, weaker bones, and higher risk of infection or illness due to a compromised immune response. I’m not saying these things to scare you, and I still believe intermittent fasting can work well for most women. But it’s important to understand the risks of any weight loss effort.
Where do these adverse effects come from? Like so many health concerns, particularly in women, it’s all about hormones. Hormonal dysfunction can wreak havoc on almost every aspect of health. That’s why it’s so important to attend to hormone health as part of the complete picture, no matter what your goals are.
Low calorie intake can affect the hypothalamus, disrupting the production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which aids in the release of two reproductive hormones: luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. These hormones are supposed to relay messages to the ovaries, and when they can’t do so properly, irregular periods, infertility and other issues may arise.
This disruption in communication also has an impact on estrogen and progesterone, which are required for ovulation, healthy pregnancy and so much more.
So, does that mean women should just avoid intermittent fasting altogether? My answer is a resounding no. You just have to listen to your body and determine what will work for you.
And if you experience symptoms of hormonal imbalance after starting intermittent fasting, it’s essential to work with your healthcare provider or a trained functional medicine practitioner to determine whether you should continue.
Additionally, there are a few groups of people who should avoid fasting:
Now that you understand what intermittent fasting is, how it can benefit your health and the potential risks, particularly for women, I want to give you my top tips to reduce those risks. There is no right approach for everyone, but with all the fasting options out there, I’m confident that most women can find one that works for them.
1. Find the best fasting method for you
In general, keeping fasting times shorter (perhaps 12 hours instead of 16) can help limit the hormonal impacts of fasting. Fasting on alternate days instead of daily and eating a small number of calories (about 25 percent of your usual intake) on fasting days are other methods that help women achieve weight loss success without side effects.
2. Avoid nutritional deficiencies
Whatever weight loss method you choose, make sure your body has the essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients it needs. That’s why eating healthy, whole foods during non-fasting periods is key.
Unfortunately, it’s not always enough. Getting the right nutrients can be difficult anytime because of poor agricultural practices and nutrient depletion.
That’s why I always recommend a high-quality multivitamin to my clients, whether they’re dieting or not. You may also need specific support for hormonal balance; work with your provider to determine the right regimen for your needs.
3. Take it easy on fasting days
That’s not to say you shouldn’t exercise at all, but if calorie intake is very low, you simply don’t have the energy for high-impact cardio workouts. Yoga, stretching, Pilates and walking are all good choices to keep your body moving without pushing it too far.
4. Don’t fast during your period
Your hormones are already working overtime during menstruation. It’s best to honor your body and the hard work it’s doing rather than adding extra strain. Remember, limiting calories strains your body and activates the stress response as if there’s a true famine. Too much stress can lead to chronic issues with hormonal balance and much bigger problems.
5. Pay attention to how you feel
You know your body best, and you’ll know if something doesn’t feel right. Don’t ignore it; act immediately. Working with a trusted professional means gaining access to expert advice and the ability to find a new approach quickly if the one you’re using isn’t right for you.
Remember, to make weight loss sustainable, you must change your mindset as well as your eating habits. That’s why it’s so important to tweak your approach to find the best long-term solutions.
Intermittent fasting can be an amazing way to shift out of bad habits like snacking constantly and obsessing over food. Often, once they begin a fasting routine, people realize they may have been eating for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger.
It’s important to plan ahead and start slowly; jumping right in might lead to those unwanted hormonal changes and side effects. Start with setting a time to stop eating in the evening.
Be sure to eat a balanced dinner large enough to satisfy you through the evening hours, then simply don’t eat anything else until breakfast. Slowly stretch out the time of your fast by pushing dinner a little earlier or breakfast a bit later.
Another option is to choose just one day a week to fast, whether that means no food at all or a substantially lower number of calories that day.
If you’ve been a yo-yo dieter, you may be wary of this as just one more program. But remember, fasting isn’t a diet. It can help you change old habits while allowing you to eat what you want (within reason, of course).
Less restrictions and more freedom is certainly appealing to me—that’s why I’ve been intermittent fasting for years!
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