Does fasting lose muscle? Science answers without doubt

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Fasting has become known in recent years as an effective formula for weight loss.

However, it is more than that, for many people it is

, usually athletes and exercise enthusiasts.

Including the most fitness celebrities, as is the case with Elsa Pataky or Reese Wihterspoon.

So it is essential to clarify this big question when

: is muscle lost by fasting?

Scientists have a clear answer.

No,

, various investigations prove it, such as the one published in the Journal of Translational Medicine.

In fact, the pharmacist

, specialized in Nutrition, explains that, unlike what happens with other diets, fasting provides an added benefit that goes against this idea:

.

However, it will always depend on how the diet is carried out.

What is lost first: fat or muscle?

Fat

muscle.

That reveals the study mentioned above, which analyzed two groups of people, one subjected to fasting and the other with a conventional diet.

The results determined that both finished the investigation with the same amount of muscle.

However, the results revealed a

with respect to

.

While those who did not fast lost 2.8% of their body fat, those who did fast experienced a 16.4% reduction in body fat.

So yes, fasting allows you to lose weight without affecting the muscle, although here comes

: as long as the fast

.

This diet is based on the precept of not eating anything during a certain period of time in the day, which corresponds to fasting.

With the exception of the so-called 'food window' in a specific time range of the day.

There are different models, some of transition, such as 12:12, which refers to the twelve hours in which food cannot be eaten and the other twelve in which it is.

But there are also 16:8 modes, including 18:6 and 20:4.

The

is in the food that is provided to the body during those periods of time, not just any.

It must be

for the body, providing the fats -very important- and essential proteins that it needs, but they must be of food quality.

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