Fasting and Fighting Cruise Ship Viruses: What You Need to Know
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See store or sleepnumber.com for details. Welcome to Paging Dr. Gupta. This is the show where I get to answer the health questions that you've been asking, and you've been sending in a lot of questions. And Kira, one of our amazing producers, is here to help us out again. What's the first question? All right. Hey, Sanjay. So today's first page is coming from a listener whose name is Stephanie, and she wants to know your thoughts on intermittent fasting. So what's your take?

All right, Kira, thanks for bringing that one in. You know, intermittent fasting is something that I've thought a lot about really my whole life because my parents practiced this when I was a kid, and I've now been practicing intermittent fasting regularly as an adult for some close to 20 years. It's not just a health trend for me. It's become a part of my lifestyle. So let me start this way, Stephanie, with a little bit of the science behind intermittent fasting.

As the name suggests, and as you might guess, the idea is to simply cycle between periods of eating and periods of fasting. That part makes sense. Typically, you may fast for 16 to 18 hours a day, for example, and then eat in a smaller window, six to eight hours a day. Some people refer to this as restricted eating as well. That's a good name for it because essentially you have times of your day or your week when you're not eating at all. That's the key.

Now, why is there so much excitement around this? I think it's because there's data around some of the compelling health benefits. Improvements in blood sugar, for example. Improvements in weight management. That one makes sense. Also, even reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Now, why this occurs is a little bit unclear, but it may be linked to a process known as metabolic switching. This is when your body essentially transitions from burning sugar or glucose for energy to instead burning fat. That shift can happen when you are fasting, and that's what has been linked to better cellular health. So again, remember that term, metabolic switching, and essentially think of your body as flipping a switch

from storing energy to instead using the energy and doing it pretty efficiently. So if you think, well, look, that sounds great. How do I do it?

The way I did it was to find periods of my day when I typically eat. So I sort of really adopted what I referred to earlier, that 16-8 approach. 16 hours out of the day. And remember, that includes night as well when you're not eating. Eight hours a day when you're allowed to eat. Again, some people might use 18 hours not eating, six hours eating. But start off slow. That would be sort of the key.

And people could basically do it as well based on when it is daylight outside. If you don't want to pay attention to the actual hours in the day, pay attention to the sunshine. Don't eat when it's dark outside. Simple as that. That's something I've done as well. And it's really, in particular, kept me from eating late at night. That was a big problem for me. Got me out of the habit of late night snacks and things like that. Now, another way to approach it is to do what's called a 5-2 approach. So five days out of the week you eat,

two days you really don't eat, or you eat a really, really low-calorie diet on those two days. Whatever sort of floats your boat here. One thing I will say as you're starting this journey is that I cheated from time to time.

I wasn't always eating just when the sun was out. I wasn't perfect right out of the gate. So don't beat yourself up too much if you're starting this process of intermittent fasting. But again, start slowly and keep in mind an important caution that intermittent fasting is not a free pass to essentially binge on unhealthy foods during the times when you can eat. That'll quickly undo a lot of the benefits.

The reason I say this is because there was a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. This was back in 2023. They followed 500 people for six years. It's a long-term study, some of whom were intermittent fasting, some who weren't. And what they found was no clear link between restricted eating windows and weight loss.

What did matter in the study, though, overall, was portion sizes and the total number of calories that a person ate throughout the day. So it's not necessarily just when you eat. It is what you're eating as well. That should be obvious. If you're fasting but not paying attention to how much or what you're eating, it's probably not going to make that big a difference. It reminded me, when I read that study, of a conversation I had with this great professor, Christopher Gardner. He's out of Stanford.

I talked to him for an episode of Chasing Life. Intermittent fasting, you look at your watch. Is it time to eat? No. Okay, I'm not going to eat. Wait, let me look again. I get to eat now. And so if it's just a wind dial,

I fear that people say it's the window so I can have the pint of ice cream or I can have the cookies or I can have whatever because the most important thing is the window. And I really appreciate how simple that rule is. And there's no emphasis on quality. It's an important point. Perhaps as you think about intermittent fasting, Stephanie, the most important point. But bottom line advice from me, if intermittent fasting sounds appealing,

Give it a try. If you're going to make big changes to your diet, do talk to your doctor to make sure it's right for you. And if you want to hear more about intermittent fasting or from Christopher Gardner, who was really fantastic, check out our episode called Do Diets Really Work? We'll link to it in the show notes. Coming up after the break, if you're planning to go on a cruise this year, got a lot of questions about this, we're going to answer one to talk about how to stay healthy and not ruin your vacation. This podcast is supported by Sleep Number.

There's a reason the Sleep Number smart bed is the number one bed for couples. It's because you can each choose what's right for you whenever you like. Firmer or softer on either side, Sleep Number does that. One side cooler and the other side warmer, Sleep Number does that too. You have to feel it to believe it. Only Sleep Number smart beds let you choose your ideal comfort and support, your Sleep Number setting. Sleep Number smart beds learn how you sleep and provide personalized insights to help you sleep better.

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. All right, Kira, who's paging me next? Sanjay, this one's coming from a listener named Molly, and she called in for her question. So let's take a listen.

Hello, my name is Molly from Fieldsbrook, California. My husband and I are going on a cruise soon. We are very religious about washing our hands and using hand sanitizer before and sometimes during meals. The cruise line is also very diligent about keeping commonly used services clean and sanitary. Are there any other steps we should take to avoid getting sick on the cruise, especially avoid getting the norovirus? Thank you for answering my question.

You're asking a great question, a common question, a lot of people heading into cruise season, and norovirus outbreaks are quite common, unfortunately. Norovirus, also called the cruise ship virus for obvious reasons, it's not just one virus, but all these various viruses that are called norovirus have something in common. They spread really easily in confined spaces, and cruise

And cruise ships are confined spaces. For those of you that have not heard about norovirus,

It is a virus that can sometimes be referred to as a stomach bug, stomach flu, because most of the symptoms are GI symptoms. You know what I'm talking about. Vomiting, diarrhea. This is something you do not want to get. So first of all, I'm happy to hear that your cruise is taking sanitation seriously, because in addition to being a GI virus that spreads in confined spaces, it is really contagious. And that means...

that only a tiny amount can make you sick. Some viruses, you need a huge dose to really get sick. Not so with norovirus. It can take just a small dose and it can survive on surfaces for long periods of time. Keep those two things in mind. A small dose can make you sick and it can survive on surfaces for long periods of time.

Okay, so how to stay safe? Wash your hands, obviously, because washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water before eating, after using the restroom, after touching high contact surfaces. Think about the cruise ship. You got railings, you got elevator buttons, all those things. They're high contact surfaces, easy places for norovirus to spread. Now, when it comes to things like hand sanitizer, know this, hand sanitizer won't actually do a good job against norovirus.

It's really interesting because norovirus has this tough protein coat that protects the genetic material. Viruses like the flu, they have more of a membrane coating and are more susceptible to alcohol as a result. So really use soap and water. Do it often on your hands.

Other things you should do to stay healthy on your cruise. Bring along some cleaning wipes, bleach-based cleaning wipes in particular, sanitizers. Those things are going to neutralize the virus. Check the label. Check the EPA website to make sure they work against norovirus. Interestingly, many household disinfectants don't do a good job with norovirus. Make sure norovirus is on that label. And then again, wipe down anything in your room that is touched. Knobs, handles, phones, remotes.

Avoid touching your face as much as possible. You may not recognize it, but you touch your face all the time. When you're in high contact areas, try and avoid doing that because you can easily transfer the virus from a contaminated surface to your body through your mouth, nose, or eyes. If you do get sick on board, report your symptoms to the ship's medical facility, follow their recommendations,

There's not a specific medicine they're going to give you for norovirus. Antibiotics aren't going to work. This is a virus we're talking about, not a bacteria. But it is really important that you stay hydrated with water if you can, or over-the-counter oral rehydration solutions. Sometimes people have a hard time keeping things down when they're really nauseated. Those oral rehydration solutions or salts, they can be really effective. Bring some along just in case, although they should have some on the cruise ship.

Things like Pepto-Bismol, the basics, bring those things as well. Know this, that most people are going to recover within one to three days. And also know that most cruise lines are really aware of norovirus. Sounds like yours is. They take pride in taking these steps to control the outbreaks. You may hear about quarantining of passengers or crew with symptoms to increase cleaning and disinfection of impacted vessels. You may see that happening even on your cruise.

So, with these tips, some medications to take along, lots of precautions, I think you're going to be well prepared. Stay healthy and enjoy your trip. Bon voyage. That's it for today's episode.

You have a lot of questions out there I know. Send them to me, a voice memo, email it to asksanjayatcnn.com, or give us a call the old-fashioned way, 470-396-0832. Leave a message. Thanks for listening. I love being here, and we'll be back next Tuesday.

Chasing Life is a production of CNN Audio. Our podcast is produced by Aaron Mathewson, Jennifer Lai, Grace Walker, Lori Gallaretta, Jesse Remedios, Sophia Sanchez, and Kira Dering. Andrea Kane is our medical writer. Our senior producer is Dan Bloom. Amanda Seeley is our showrunner. Dan DeZula is our technical director. And the executive producer of CNN Audio is Steve Liktai.

With support from Jamis Andrest, John D'Onora, Haley Thomas, Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Lainey Steinhardt, Nicole Pesereau, and Lisa Namarau. Special thanks to Ben Tinker and Nadia Kanang of CNN Health and Katie Hinman.

There's a reason that the Sleep Number smart bed is the number one best bed for couples. It's because you can each choose what's right for you whenever you like. Firmer or softer on either side, Sleep Number does that. One side cooler and the other side warmer, Sleep Number does that too. You have to feel it to believe it. Sleep better together. And now save 50% on the new Sleep Number limited edition smart bed. Limited time. Exclusively at a Sleep Number store near you.

See store or sleepnumber.com for details.

This week on The Assignment with me, Adi Cornish. Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, otherwise known as DOGE, have rattled the federal civil service to its core. So now that the richest man in the world has been put in charge of remaking the U.S. government, the questions are, how is he doing it? Who's helping him to do it? And what does it mean for the government services you might just be taking for granted?

Listen to The Assignment with me, Audie Cornish, streaming now on your favorite podcast app.