intermittent fasting cidp

The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting for CIDP Inflammation

Intermittent fasting can help reduce inflammation on multiple levels and it may help reduce your CIDP related inflammation. 

By Shiraz Abbas

The underlying denominator behind CIDP type neuropathy is chronic inflammation. There is no single reason as to why CIDP may happen, but we do understand that calming inflammation in the body can help CIDP symptoms.

Intermittent fasting can help calm down inflammation in the body from multiple fronts. First, it can help increase the good bacteria in your colon and thereby improve your gut health.

Every time you eat, you trigger an insulin response in your body. Have enough insulin responses in your body and you will develop insulin resistance which can increase inflammation in your body.

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Last week, we cited a 2015 study showing the relation between insulin resistance and an increase in inflammation:

Obesity might increase the expression of some inflammatory cytokines and activate several signaling pathways, both of which are involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance by interfering with insulin signaling and action. It has been suggested that specific factors and signaling pathways are often correlated with each other; therefore, both of the fluctuation of cytokines and the status of relevant signaling pathways should be considered during studies analyzing inflammation-related insulin resistance.

Mind Body Green writes that it can help in the

Production of a compound (β-hydroxybutrate) that blocks part of the immune system involved in inflammatory disorders like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or Alzheimer’s disease

Other studies also show that intermittent fasting can help with inflammation of the nerves.

There are different types of intermittent fasting. According to Health Line, the following are the most popular methods of intermittent fasting:

1) The 16/8 method: Also called the Leangains protocol, it involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours, such as 1–9 p.m. Then you fast for 16 hours in between.

2) Eat-Stop-Eat:This involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week, for example by not eating from dinner one day until dinner the next day.

3) The 5:2 diet: With this method, you consume only 500–600 calories on two non-consecutive days of the week, but eat normally the other 5 days.

By reducing calorie intake, you also lose weight. We have seen how being overweight can make your CIDP worse. During intermittent fasting, you also help your gut flora and reduce insulin resistance thereby further reducing inflammation in your body.

For good weight loss results, some recommend a combination of the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting. We previously wrote how the keto diet could help people with CIDP.

If you have CIDP and wish to try intermittent fasting, please make sure to talk to your doctor and see if it is safe for you.


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