Is fasting good for your body?

Fasting is an important tradition in all major religions. The complete or partial abstention from food is associated with benefits such as purifying the body and allowing the individual to develop a closer relationship to God. But fasting is not only beneficial on a spiritual level; according to recent research, it also has numerous health benefits. Here are 15 of them.

Before beginning a fasting program, always be sure to speak to your doctor to make sure it is right for you.




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Fasting may facilitate weight loss

Intermittent fasting involves not eating for short periods of time. For example, a person might choose not to eat between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. There are a number of schools of thought associated with this technique.

According to a study published in 2015, intermittent fasting may contribute to weight loss. Among subjects who fasted on alternate days for three to 12 weeks, researchers observed a three- to seven-per-cent decrease in body weight and a decrease in body fat of between three and 5.5 kg (12 lb.).




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Fasting may help lower bad cholesterol

Bad cholesterol is one of the leading risk factors for coronary artery disease. Eliminating bad cholesterol begins with committing to a healthy lifestyle and, most importantly, watching what you eat. But did you know that fasting could also be an effective prevention strategy?

Researchers in one study examined 71 individuals who followed a “fasting-mimicking diet”—one that restricted calories, sugar, and protein but was high in unsaturated fats—for five consecutive days per month over a three-month period. During these five days, participants consumed roughly 40 per cent of their recommended daily calorie intake.

At the end of the study, the subjects were found to have lower levels of bad cholesterol than they did at the start.




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Fasting may reduce the risk of diabetes





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Fasting may improve quality of sleep

If you have trouble sleeping, it could be because you tend to eat right before bedtime.

According to one study, intermittent fasting can improve the body’s circadian rhythm—the internal clock of sorts that lets you know when you should be sleeping and when you should be awake. In other words, intermittent fasting could help you fall asleep more easily at night and prevent insomnia.




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Fasting may reduce blood pressure

Several studies, including this one, have shown that short-term fasting can lower blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure shrinks the risk of heart disease.




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Fasting may energize your brain

It’s easy to assume that fasting will leave you feeling lethargic, but in fact, the opposite is true: fasting can even energize the brain!

In a 2015 study on mice, researchers discovered that fasting stimulated the development of nerve cells in the brain, particularly in between fasting periods. They also observed that, while fasting, the mice were more alert and exhibited above-average brain activity.

When an organism is deprived of food, it begins to draw energy from fat cells rather than from the liver. Fat cells contain molecules known as ketones, which fuel brain cell development.




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Fasting may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease

Could doctors soon be prescribing fasting regimens to patients with Alzheimer’s disease? We may well start to see that type of treatment: based on studies conducted on mice, intermittent fasting could prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms.

Fasting may also improve memory and cognitive learning ability. Moreover, regularly abstaining from food for certain periods could protect your brain cells from degeneration and dysfunction.




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Fasting may have the potential to help treat multiple sclerosis

Published in 2016, this study examined the effects of a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) on multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms in mice. The researchers tested a weekly three-day FMD—low in calories and protein—over a period of 30 days. At the end of the trials, they found that the symptoms of the autoimmune disorder had not only improved in all of the mice, but had even been reversed in certain cases. Notably, the results indicated that the FMD had stimulated repair processes that countered the cell degeneration characteristic of MS.

According to the researchers, an effective diet-based treatment for MS patients has yet to be found. They believe their work suggests that an FMD could be effective in treating humans with the relapsing-remitting form of the disease, but further studies are needed to move beyond theory.




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Fasting may reduce inflammation and protect against cancer

Inflammation is a harmful condition that increases the risk of developing all kinds of health issues, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.

This 2007 study is one of several that have demonstrated the potential of fasting to lower oxidative stress and inflammation. These results lead some people to believe that temporary food deprivation could be an effective means of preventing cancer.




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Fasting may help prevent Parkinson’s disease

While fasting cannot cure Parkinson’s disease, occasional abstinence from food could lower the risk of developing the illness. The results of this study on mice suggest that fasting could protect against the destruction of dopaminergic neurons—dopamine-producing cells in the brain whose degeneration is characteristic of Parkinson’s.

More research still needs to be done in order to better understand the effects of fasting on Parkinson’s disease.




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Fasting may alleviate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

Fasting and switching to a vegetarian diet could help alleviate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory disease that affects the joints.

A change in dietary habits could help rheumatoid arthritis patients reduce the amount of pain they experience and improve joint mobility.




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Fasting may help treat acute pancreatitis

Often caused by gallstones, acute pancreatitis is a disease where the pancreas becomes inflamed. It occurs suddenly and leads to severe abdominal pain.

As noted by the American National Pancreas Society, initial treatment for acute pancreatitis includes fasting for the first 24 to 48 hours to give the pancreas and bowels a chance to rest. After 48 hours, it is important for the patient to begin taking in nutrition, whether by eating on their own or by using a feeding tube, as a substantial number of calories are required for the pancreas to heal.




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Fasting may help treat irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic disorder whose symptoms include abdominal pain or bloating, diarrhea, and constipation. In this 2006 study, patients with moderate to severe IBS experienced a significant improvement in almost all of the symptoms assessed following a four-week fasting treatment program. The results suggest that fasting could help IBS patients who do not respond to drug-based treatment.




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Fasting may boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy

According to this study, short-term or intermittent fasting has the potential to protect cancer patients from the side effects of chemotherapy. Based on mouse models, the researchers found that, when paired with chemotherapy drugs, fasting cycles led to prolonged cancer-free survival. In addition, it appeared that cycles of fasting made certain cancer cells more susceptible to chemotherapy treatment.

It is important to remember that most of the research on fasting as a form of cancer prevention or treatment has been done on animals or cancer cells; little evidence of its effect on humans is available. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy should speak to their doctor before beginning any kind of fasting diet.




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Fasting may slow the aging process

A 2017 study on nematode worms found that intermittent fasting may be able to slow the aging process. The researchers observed that restricting the worms’ diet affected the mitochondrial networks inside cells in such a way that led to increased lifespan.

Further studies need to be done to determine whether intermittent fasting could have the same effect on humans.

As reiterated throughout this article, you should always consult a healthcare professional before beginning a fasting regimen, even if you are planning to fast for only a short period.




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