It seems like every day, someone new mentions intermittent fasting. But what is it, exactly? There are myriad options — from the 5:2 diet, with two days of extreme calorie restriction each week, to the warrior diet, which involves eating only raw fruit during the day and a mammoth feast at night. Whatever the approach, intermittent fasting involves restricting the window of time when you eat.Supporters evangelise the benefits, promising weight loss, disease prevention, and even life extension. Currently, the scientific evidence is unclear, but it's an exciting area that may be full of potential. Today, Jonathan speaks with Gin Stephens, who has had a powerful experience of intermittent fasting transforming her health and weight. He also talks to Tim Spector, who will share what science can tell us about intermittent fasting today —  and, interestingly, how much it can’t, yet. Plus, an exciting announcement about how this is set to change. Gin Stephens is a New York Times bestselling author and podcast host. Tim Spector is a co-founder of ZOE and one of the world's top 100 most cited scientists. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes:00:00 - Intro00:15 - Topic introduction02:44 - Quickfire questions04:38 - ZOE’s intermittent fasting study08:42 - What is intermittent fasting and how it impacted Gin’s life11:50 - Demystifying intermittent fasting14:19 - The science of intermittent fasting23:29 - Starting intermittent fasting25:29 - What am I allowed to have during intermittent fasting?30:07 - The first 28 days of “clean” intermittent fasting32:51 - Intermittent fasting and the microbiome37:00 - Correlation with circadian rhythms38:56 - How important is consistency when time-restricted eating?41:14 - On intermittent fasting & women’s health43:24 - Summary44:35 - Goodbyes44:56 - OutroEpisode transcripts are available here.Join us for the World’s Biggest Intermittent Fasting study at joinzoe.com/fastingFollow Gin: https://www.instagram.com/ginstephensGet Gin’s books here.Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.