Cleanse Days Combat Weight Gain and Oxidative Stress

One or two days a week of Cleanse Day-style calorie reduction similar if not more beneficial than dieting for shedding weight and oxidative stress, study suggests.

Worried you might eat too much at Thanksgiving or during the holiday season? Following the festivities with a couple of Cleanse Days is an effective way to get back on track by compensating for the extra calories eaten. Results from a study published recently in theInternational Journal of Obesity show just that.

In a randomized trial on 107 middle-aged, overweight or obese women, researchers compared intermittent calorie restriction—similar to Cleanse Days on an Isagenix system—with continuous calorie restriction (regular dieting). It was one of the first human trials to ever compare the two weight-management strategies. Over the six-month study, researchers took measurements including weight, total body fat, blood pressure, and blood sampling to determine changes in weight and insulin resistance.

The study assigned the women to either consume a continuous calorie-restricted diet (25 percent below estimated requirements daily) or a diet that restricted calories by 75 percent for two days a week, the other five days followed the estimated requirements for weight maintenance.

The women in the calorie-restricted group followed a Mediterranean-type diet. The diet contained 30 percent calories from fat (most being monounsaturated fat like olive oil as found in IsaLean Shake), 45 percent calories from low-glycemic carbohydrates, and 25 percent calories from protein. The intermittent calorie-restriction group followed the same diet, but for two days consumed only about 492 to 541 calories each day—that’s not quite as low in calories as the average Cleanse Day of about 150 calories daily, but it’s pretty close.

At the end of the six months, the researchers found that both groups were comparable in total weight loss and improvements in several risk markers for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and several cancers. However, the intermittent calorie restriction group appeared to have greater improvements in insulin sensitivity and oxidative stress markers.The increased insulin sensitivity from intermittent calorie restriction may be related to the significant decrease of insulin in the body during a one-or-two-day reduced intake in calories, which was followed by regular calorie intake. The authors called for future trials that look into the effects that intermittent calorie restriction has on insulin and glucose metabolism.

They wrote, intermittent calorie restriction “may be offered as an equivalent alternative to” dieting “for weight loss and reducing disease risk.”

Previously, research reviews have also speculated that intermittent calorie restriction might be linked to better disease prevention than continuous fasting because of increased resistance to oxidative stress—results from this study may support this assertion.

For those on an Isagenix system, these findings support the importance of Cleanse Days. They may offer similar if not more benefits than regular dieting for weight loss. Unlike normal intermittent calorie restriction, drinking Cleanse for Life also supports the body nutritionally, adds antioxidant protection, and promotes detoxification because of its content of herbs, vitamins, and minerals.