Should we take Supplements while Fasting?
At the time that I’m writing this, Sundays and Thursdays are my fasting days. Sometimes I’ll fast the entire day (no food at all. I’ll just drink some water, coffee and white tea.
I might fast from 7 pm on Saturday night till 10 a.m. on Monday, a 39 hour fast, or fast from 7 pm on Wednesday till 7 pm on Thursday (a 24 hour fast) then end my thursday fast with a meal.
On fasting days, I take a contrast (hot/cold) shower to activate my sirtuin genes and do some red light therapy. I also sometimes do some HIIT exercise on a stationary bike. But I’m not trying to build muscle on those days. So I try not to activate mTOR.
mTOR is anabolic, which is great because it builds muscle, but it’s also pro-aging. I set the bike to minimum resistance so that I can pedal as fast as humanly possible and get completely out of breath (three times). My goal is to create a temporary oxygen deficit to increase NAD and activate AMPK and the sirtuins..
Fasting Day Supplements
Some people don’t take supplements at all on fasting days; they just drink water, with or without electrolytes. I sometimes go that route. But I sometimes do take supplements.
I skip the ones likely to activate mTOR (like creatine and HRB), but take the supplements associated with increasing NAD levels such as NMN, quercetin, oleic acid, TMG, and fisetin (from SIRT6 Activator). The supplements I take are either powders or in cellulose capsules, so they are not adding any protein, fat or carbs. So from that point of view they don’t break my fast.
