Have you ever tried intermittent fasting? As the month of Ramadan comes to an end, many Muslims are concluding several weeks of time-restricted eating. But outside of religion, many of us are now choosing to eat this way for health reasons – even UK PM Rishi Sunak does a weekly fast. Claimed benefits of intermittent fasting range from weight loss to improved immune function to maybe even living longer, but do these stack up?
James Gallagher gives one of these popular diets a go whilst trying to answer if restricting when we eat our food is good for us. He chats to Colin Selman from the University of Glasgow about the animal studies which inspired these claims, Claudia Langberg from Queen Mary University on what happens in our bodies when fasting, and Lucy Serpell from UCL on the potential dangers these types of diets can pose. Plus, we visit AFC Wimbledon for an Iftar event to hear if people fasting during Ramadan experience any changes to their health.
Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Julia Ravey Editor: Holly Squire Studio Manager: Giles Aspen
Are more young people getting cancer?
Can insomnia be fixed?
We go on a tick hunt
Can noise harm our health?
Coffee, nap, rave, repeat...
Why recovering from long Covid is a lot like training for the Olympics
A guide to the perimenopause
Speedy medicine, and is fermented food good for us?
Bladder, bowels and sex: Learning to live after my mountain accident
Living in a Bacterial World
How do cold and flu remedies help when we're ill?
What's stopping us from exercising in older age?
Inside a sexual assault referral centre
Migraines and Headaches
When does sitting become bad for health?
Why is syphilis making a comeback?
On the trail of a new street drug
What difference could new Alzheimer’s disease drugs make?
Could weight-loss drugs treat addiction?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Global News Podcast
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
The Infinite Monkey Cage
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins