Dangers of fasting as shocking simulation shows the extreme impact of doing it for 36 hours

Intermittent fasting isn’t anything new but people were shocked to find out how the body reacts to the process.

Losing weight and overall body fat is often a goal of many people and there are loads of ways you can go about that.

Sometimes for health reasons and other times just to feel more comfortable about the way they look.

Whatever the reason, one method that has caught people’s attention is intermittent fasting, where instead of dictating what you can eat, you focus on when you can eat and how long you go between meals.

A simulation video showing how the body reacts over a 36-hour period of not eating has also got people curious about the method.

Intermittent fasting can be less about what you eat but rather when (Getty Stock Image)

A 55-second video posted by the Wellness Wise channel on YouTube explained how the body burns fat after a few hours, ultimately ensuring a person loses weight.

It also highlighted that in just four hours of not eating, your body can go through some shocking changes.

The diet and mental health service The Emily Program reported on the less spoken about dangers of intermittent fasting.

While weight loss can be achieved through fasting, the service points out that, just like with any restrictive diet, there can be typical side effects.

While severity may vary and it may not apply to all who try intermittent fasting, these are some of the typical negative side effects.

• Excessive hunger pangs
• Fatigue and low energy
• Headaches (ranging from mild to severe)
• Dizziness
• Digestive issues (e.g., constipation and bloating)
• Irritability and other mood changes
• Bad breath
• Sleep disturbances
• Dehydration
• Polyuria (excessive urination)
• Potential impacts on reproductive health
• Nutrient deficiencies and malnutrition

The page also noted that there isn't an extensive amount of data regarding intermittent fasting.

The Emily Program stated: "Current human research is very limited in size and duration, in part because this diet fad is not sustainable.

"In fact, many people are unable to complete intermittent fasting trials, as demonstrated by the high drop-out rate of intermittent fasting weight loss studies.”

James Betts, a professor of metabolic physiology at the University of Bath, echoed a similar statement, despite the many people who swear by it.

Experts remain divided on the benefits of fasting (Getty Stock Image)

Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “There [are] a lot of proposed benefits to [running on fats]. But a lot of the research hasn’t really [been borne out in] human beings. So we don’t see dramatic health benefits, certainly in the short term.”

The Emily Programme also noted that there was a concerning trend of participants having a heightened risk of developing or exacerbating an eating disorder.

The page clarified that while intermittent fasting is not itself an eating disorder, the habit of ignoring hunger cues can help create a disordered relationship with food.