Dosage Lookup
Fasting
Strong
consensus
Consensus Protocol
Dosage
- 8-12 hour eating window for daily time-restricted feeding (Huberman: 8 hours
- Patrick/Panda: 9-12 hours)
- Johnson practices a more extreme 4-hour eating window (20-hour fast)
Form
Time-restricted eating (daily), periodic prolonged fasting (2-5 days, quarterly — Attia/Longo), or fasting-mimicking diet (5-day protocol, monthly to quarterly — Longo/Patrick).
Timing
- Avoid food for at least 1 hour after waking and 2-3 hours before bed (Huberman)
- Place the feeding window consistently within the 24-hour cycle to align with circadian rhythms
- Early-day protein intake may benefit muscle maintenance and hormone optimization
Notes
- Consistency of the feeding window matters more than the exact hours chosen
- Light exercise (20-30 min walk) after the last meal can help transition into the fasted state
- Salt water can help manage hunger and lightheadedness during fasting
- Berberine can mimic some fasting effects on glucose disposal but should be used cautiously
- Active women may need to approach fasting differently due to hormonal impacts
Expert Positions
What Each Expert Says
Huberman has two dedicated fasting episodes plus a guest interview with Dr. Satchin Panda. He provides the most actionable protocol: an 8-hour feeding window, no food for 1 hour after waking or 2-3 hours before bed, with consistent timing. He explains how eating raises blood glucose and insulin while fasting activates different hormonal pathways, and references Panda's 2012 mouse study showing time-restricted feeding prevents metabolic disease even on a high-fat diet. He also discusses how intermittent fasting improves liver enzymes and insulin sensitivity, and cautions about the sex-specific risks for active women via Dr. Stacy Sims.
Unlock Expert Deep Dives
See exactly what each expert recommends — specific dosages, forms, timing protocols, and video citations with timestamps.
View Full Report