What Is the Best YouTube Video for Intermittent Fasting?

Final ranking

1. Dr. Jason Fung - Beginners Guide to Intermittent Fasting
2. Dr. Eric Berg DC - The Truth About Fasting: What Really Happens to Your Body
3. Andrew Huberman - Effects of Fasting and Time Restricted Eating on Fat Loss and Health
4. Dr. Sten Ekberg - 15 Intermittent Fasting Mistakes That Make You Gain Weight
5. Dr. Alan Goldhamer on The Diary of a CEO - World No.1 Fasting Expert

1) Dr. Jason Fung - Beginners Guide to Intermittent Fasting (Best overall)

Why number 1

• Clearest, safest on ramp for the widest audience.
• Defines fasting as voluntary abstinence of food, not starvation.
• Maps common protocols: 16 8, OMAD, 24 hour and multi-day.
• Benefits: weight loss, potential type 2 diabetes improvements, energy, mental clarity.
• Safety guardrails: do not fast if you are a child, pregnant or breastfeeding, underweight or malnourished. Consult a clinician for medications or eating disorders.
• Starter path: cut snacks, then move to 16 hours, make it a habit.

Audience pulse

• Positive 51.98 percent, negative 10.44 percent.
• Dominant themes: gratitude and curiosity, many success stories for weight and glucose control.

Actionable takeaways

• Remove snacks first, then adopt a 16 8 window.
• Finish last meal 2 to 3 hours before bed.
• Hydrate and consider electrolytes if experimenting with longer fasts.

Caveats

• Limited edge case detail for athletes, shift workers, and women by life stage.
• No precise gram thresholds for what breaks a fast or autophagy.

2) Dr. Eric Berg DC - The Truth About Fasting: What Really Happens to Your Body

Why number 2

• Comprehensive physiology explained in plain language.
• Highlights growth hormone, autophagy around 18 hours, reduced inflammation, gut healing, possible stem cell and tumor related mechanisms, metabolic resilience.
• Practical guardrails for longer water fasts such as 72 hours or greater: minerals, B vitamins, and salt to reduce dizziness and side effects.
• Diet framing: higher protein and higher fat with low sugar and low processed foods.

Audience pulse

• Positive 47.23 percent, negative 9.77 percent.

Actionable takeaways

• Prioritize electrolytes and deliberate refeeding for longer fasts.
• Understand dawn phenomenon and transient LDL shifts.
• Keep eating windows whole food focused to avoid rebound.

Caveats

• Some viewers request stronger human evidence for a subset of claims.

3) Andrew Huberman - Effects of Fasting and Time Restricted Eating on Fat Loss and Health

Why number 3

• Strongest science first guide to time restricted feeding and circadian alignment.
• Covers weight and fat loss, muscle maintenance, organ health, cognition, mood, recovery.
• Core levers: consistent window, no food 2 to 3 hours before sleep, delay first meal at least 60 minutes after waking, salt for electrolytes, light movement after dinner or later day training.

Audience pulse

• Positive 42.89 percent, negative 15.14 percent.
• Praise for rigor, friction from length, and unresolved edge cases.

Actionable takeaways

• Pick a fixed window and keep it consistent.
• Avoid late eating and consider a brief walk after dinner.
• Watch electrolytes, especially if training fasted.

Caveats

• Viewers want decisive answers for what breaks a fast, tailored guidance for women, athletes, and shift workers, and shorter summaries.

4) Dr. Sten Ekberg - 15 Intermittent Fasting Mistakes That Make You Gain Weight

Why number 4

• Practical troubleshooting map.
• Avoid calories from bulletproof coffee, hyper palatable refeeds, and mixing carbs and fats at refeed.
• Maintain minerals.
• Vary both windows and intake to avoid adaptation. Rotate 18 6, OMAD, 36 hour, and occasional 3 day fasts. Vary amounts and food types.

Audience pulse

• Positive 39.11 percent, negative 15.73 percent.
• Common complaint: lack of numbers for what breaks a fast or autophagy.

Actionable takeaways

• Rotate fasting windows to break plateaus.
• Hydrate and keep sodium, potassium, and magnesium in range.
• Refeed with whole foods and avoid binge patterns post-fast.

Caveats

• Without numeric targets, some viewers feel stuck.

5) Dr. Alan Goldhamer on The Diary of a CEO - World No.1 Fasting Expert

Why number 5

• Specialized look at medically supervised water only fasting for chronic disease.
• Emphasizes complete rest and careful refeeding. Start with fiber free juices, then raw produce, then cooked and starchy foods.
• Reports include hypertension cases and metabolic markers.

Audience pulse

• Positive 48.39 percent, negative 23.74 percent.
• Concerns: no electrolytes during fasts, strict plant-based SOS-free diet, no exercise rule during fasting, access and cost of supervision.

Actionable takeaways

• Extended water fasts require medical supervision with lab monitoring.
• Slow refeeding is essential to avoid refeeding syndrome.
• Consider this clinical rather than DIY content.

Caveats

• Powerful but niche and not broadly applicable.

A practical toolkit you can start tonight

• Hydration and electrolytes: ensure water intake. Sodium helps with dizziness and coldness. For longer fasts consider potassium and magnesium.
• Consistent eating window: choose a window such as 12 to 8 pm and keep it steady.
• No food close to bed: finish meals 2 to 3 hours before sleep.
• Delay the first meal: wait at least 60 minutes after waking.
• Light movement: a 20 minute walk after dinner can help. Later day training deepens the fasted state.
• Vary to progress: rotate 16 8, OMAD, and occasional 36 hour fasts. Vary amounts and food types to avoid adaptation.
• Smart refeeds: break fasts with minimally processed, protein forward meals. Avoid ultra-palatable binges.
• What breaks a fast in practice: water, black coffee, and plain tea are generally compatible. Cream, sugar, MCT oil, and caloric add ins likely conflict with insulin and autophagy goals. Evidence on artificial sweeteners is mixed and they can stimulate appetite.

The questions viewers kept asking

• Who should fast and how. Women by life stage, such as menstrual cycle, perimenopause, menopause, and fertility. Teens and the elderly. Athletes and shift workers.
• Fasting with conditions or medications. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes, kidney, heart, thyroid issues, GERD, gastritis, pancreatitis, autoimmune, Parkinsons, cancer and chemotherapy.
• What exactly breaks a fast. Gram and calorie thresholds for carbs, protein, and fats. Coffee add-ins, MCT oil, lemon or lime, sweeteners including stevia and artificial, electrolyte powders, collagen, AG1, vitamins, and medications.
• Training without muscle loss. Strength and HIIT timing relative to the window, protein targets, fasted lifting logistics.
• Refeeding. What to eat after 16-hour, 24-hour, and 48 to 72-hour fasts. Avoiding GI upset and restoring electrolytes.
• Plateaus and symptoms. Headaches, dizziness, fatigue, bad breath, dawn phenomenon, gout flares, and practical adjustments.
• Evidence map. Human data timelines for benefits like autophagy onset and realistic expectations.

From questions to practice: mini guides

1. Safe fasting starter plan: screeners, red flags, a 14-day ramp, when to stop.
2. What breaks a fast: goals such as glucose, insulin, autophagy, gram thresholds, and n of 1 testing.
3. Fasting for women by life stage: cycle aware adjustments, peri and menopause protocols, when to pause.
4. Diabetes playbook: glucose and ketone monitoring, medication coordination, avoiding hypos.
5. Electrolyte blueprint: sodium, potassium, magnesium amounts, timing, and deficiency signs.
6. Refeed like a pro: post 16-hour, 24-hour, 48 to 72-hour templates for gut comfort and stable glucose.
7. Breaking plateaus: window rotation, carb cycling and refeeds, training timing.
8. Supervised fasting 101: access, costs, clinical protocols, vetting clinics.

Creator specific hot spots

• Eric Berg: which minerals and vitamins to take, migraines and heart conditions, sample refeed meal plans, stronger human evidence.
• Andrew Huberman: rules for window deviations, MCT oil and AG1 and sweeteners and milk, tailored guidance for women, athletes, and shift workers, tracking beyond weight.
• Sten Ekberg: numeric thresholds for breaking a fast and autophagy, preventing metabolic slowdown, what to eat by goal and body type, bulletproof coffee details.
• Alan Goldhamer: medical program access and costs, electrolytes vs no electrolytes, mental health use cases, precise refeeding steps.
• Jason Fung: diabetic safety, including hypoglycemia, coffee or tea with milk or cream or sweeteners, managing gout or high heart rate on longer fasts, how to start for pre menopause.

Feedback and complaints

• Too long or too dense. Many want short summaries and visuals.
• Conflicting advice on sweeteners, macros, and women’s protocols.
• Impractical rigidity for real-life constraints such as shift work and parenting.
• Not enough numbers. People want grams, calories, and meal templates.
• Side effects. Headaches, dizziness, fatigue, gastric issues, and gallstones.

Compliments

• Clarity on basic protocols and mistakes to avoid.
• Actionable steps people can use tonight.
• Life-changing outcomes such as weight loss, type 2 diabetes improvements, better energy, and focus.
• Evidence-based tone for science-forward content.
• Motivation and self-discipline as a reset for cravings and habits.

Bottom line: which video should you watch

• If you want the clearest, most motivating overview to start intermittent fasting confidently: watch Dr. Jason Fung.
• If you seek deep physiological understanding of fasting's benefits coupled with essential practical guardrails for well-being: watch Dr. Eric Berg DC.
• If you prioritize a rigorous, science-first strategy for time-restricted feeding to optimize metabolic health through precise timing: watch Andrew Huberman.
• If you are already fasting but need to troubleshoot plateaus, refine your habits, and avoid common mistakes to get results: watch Dr. Sten Ekberg.
• If your interest lies in the profound therapeutic potential of medically supervised, extended water-only fasting for chronic disease reversal: explore Dr. Alan Goldhamer.

Methodology and limitations

• Sample: five top fasting videos. 1,000 comments per video. 5,000 total.
• Scope: content review plus audience analysis of sentiment and themes.
• Limitations: YouTube commenters are self-selecting, and results may not generalize. Nothing here is medical advice. Consult a clinician before fasting if you have medical conditions or take medications. Extended fasts should be medically supervised.

FAQs

Does black coffee break a fast

Common practice treats black coffee and plain tea as compatible with fasting goals. Add-ins such as cream, sugar, and MCT oil likely conflict with insulin and autophagy objectives.

Do electrolytes break a fast

Non-caloric salts such as sodium are typically acceptable and help relieve symptoms. Caloric mixes or sweetened powders can conflict with certain goals.

When does autophagy start

Commonly referenced near 18 hours and increasing with time. Human evidence is evolving and varies.

Can I lift weights while fasting

Many do. Align your training with your eating window if you want to consume protein soon after. Watch electrolytes and recovery.

How should I break a 24 to 72 hour fast

Start gently, such as broth and easy-to-digest foods, then reintroduce protein and whole foods. The longer the fast, the more careful the refeed. Extended fasts warrant medical oversight.