Cory Booker’s Fasting Strategy Helped Him Break the Filibuster Record

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker stood in the Senate chambers for a record-breaking 25 hours and eight minutes, speaking against the current administration’s policies that were hurting this country and its people. He told Vogue, “I’m an intermittent faster, so my strategy was to stop eating on Friday and get myself into ketosis. When I start burning ketones, I feel a shift where I suddenly get more energy, more clarity, and more focus. I wanted to get myself into ketosis, and I also decided to dehydrate myself, which I think worked really well as a strategy of not having to go to the bathroom, but I think it also caused me a lot of muscle spasms.”

What is Ketosis

According to the Cleveland Clinic, ketosis is a metabolic state in which the body burns fat for energy instead of glucose. Usually, the body gets its energy from carbohydrates like starches and sugars, which it breaks down into glucose; any excess is stored in the liver. But when your reserves are low, the body starts breaking down fat into ketones, which become the brain’s main source of energy; that is what Booker was fueled by.

About Intermittent Fasting

At its core, intermittent fasting is a pattern that features periods of fasting and eating. The premise is this: When our insulin levels drop far enough and for long enough, as they do when we fast, we can burn off fat.

There are several different intermittent fasting diets:

• Liquid fasting, a 24-hour period where you ingest only liquids
• dramatic caloric reduction from 2,000 calories to 500 calories
• time-restricted eating, where you eat every day but during only a limited number of hours—maybe a six- to eight-hour window
• alternate-day fasting, where you fast for a day and then eat normally the next day
• weekend restriction limits calories during the week, but not on weekends

In addition to lower insulin levels—which over time leads to weight loss—there’s literature that suggests intermittent fasting may slow the aging process through weight loss, lower blood pressure, and reduced cholesterol. Other research shows increased lifespan and protection against diabetes, cognitive decline, heart disease, and some cancers. 

However, last year, the American Cancer Society released a study that said 8-hour time released eating was linked to 91% higher risk of cardiovascular death.

But “that doesn’t work for everyone,” said Vicki Catenacci, a nutrition researcher at the University of Colorado. “It takes a lot of focus. It takes a lot of math and a lot of willpower. For some people, restricting calories every day may be the best approach. For others, it might be easier not to have to count calories every day and use an intermittent fasting strategy for weight loss.” 

So how do you know if intermittent fasting will work for you?

For some, restricting food may cause problems. For example, studies have found that people who regularly fast more than 16 or 18 hours a day have a higher risk of gallstones. They’re also more likely to need surgery to remove the gallbladder. 

However, experts say eating for 12 hours and then fasting for 12 hours is likely safe for most people, though they caution against people trying fasting diets that are not based on research. 

If you’re considering fasting, chat with your health care provider. Some people, including those younger than 25, who are pregnant or breastfeeding, who take insulin or other medications to control diabetes, who have been prescribed medication that must be taken with food, who have a seizure disorder, who have eating disorders or who operate heavy machinery at work, shouldn’t fast at all.

Even if you try intermittent fasting, you still need to make healthy food choices. That means choosing fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats; drinking lots of water; and avoiding sugars and processed foods. Because when you eat matters, the experts say, but what you eat probably still matters more.