What is Fasting?
Derived from the Old English word fæstan, which means to fast or make firm; fasting is essentially about self development. These days, food is something that we as humans have readily available day or night but that is not always the way it has been. In hunter-gatherer times, just like eating seasonally, fasting was a way of life depending on the season or location of food at a given time. It was essentially built into the system of living since food was not always readily available, like it is today.
Today, people choose to fast for many different religious or health reasons. There are a variety of fasts and though some believe abstaining from food is an unhealthy practice, the proven benefits are actually very impressive.
Types of Fasts-
Water Fasting– consuming only water for a specified period of time that can range from a few hours to a few weeks. This can be very cleansing in a variety of ways but definitely requires supervision and planning.
Juice Fasting– a very popular form of fasting in today’s world. Much like water fasting, it consists of drinking a certain amount of juices per day for a specified period of time. This kind of fast has been found to be very healing, especially to the digestive tract while still providing your body with a large amount of the nutrients it needs to function.
Liquid Fats Fasting– consuming fats melted into a warm beverage such as fatty coffee or tea. Fats such as MCT oil, coconut oil or grass fed butter can be melted or blended into a warm beverage and when consumed it can help shift your body from burning glucose to burning ketones which is a great fuel for your brain.
Intermittent Fasting– consuming foods for only a portion of each day. For example, some people do an intermittent fast in which they consume foods for only 8 hours per day while abstaining from food for the other 16 hours. This is great way to implement fasting into daily life and achieve many of the benefits listed below.
7 Benefits of Fasting
- Fasting Improves Metabolism– Fasting can cause hormonal changes that make stored body fat more accessible by your body
Your metabolism is run by your hormone function. When you consume food, insulin is the hormone responsible for storing it as energy, when the energy storage is full, insulin begins to store excess energy as fat. Glucagon is a hormone responsible for triggering your cells to break down (or remove) the energy/fat to burn. It has been clinically proven that fasting lowers insulin levels which in turn increases glucagon levels. However, this is not something that is a reliable source for weight loss. Weight loss comes with lifestyle changes and though fasting is a great tool to use in your healthy lifestyle, it should not be your sole source of weight loss.
2. Fasting Improves Brain Function– Fasting increases the production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF),
BDNF is a protein that interacts with the parts of the brain that regulate memory, learning, and higher cognitive function. It helps existing neurons survive, is responsible for the growth of new neurons and the lines of communication between those neurons. On top of that, fasting also boosts Neuronal Autophagy, the process by which cells recycle waste and repair themselves. This process is extremely important in maintaining brain health and research has shown that a disruption in this process causes the brain to not develop properly nor function the way it should.
3. Fasting Slows the Aging Process– Fasting is the only proven way to trigger the body to produce Human Growth Hormone (AKA the youth hormone).
HGH is huge part of human development while we are growing up and we tend to see a decrease in the amount of it between the ages of 18-20. HGH deficiency in adults typically leads to higher levels of body fat, lower lean body mass and decreased bone mass. Though you can see an increase in HGH levels when sleeping or lifting weights, fasting has shown to increase the level significantly which triggers your body to breakdown stored glycogen vs breaking down muscle tissue.
4. Fasting Improves the Immune System and Protects Against Cancer– Fasting is clinically proven to slow the growth of tumors and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy is essentially the destruction of many things in your body, including the immune system which is the functioning system that is designed to kill cancer cells. One study on cancer has shown that short term fasting increases the survival rates of rats with tumors, while another showed that all side effects of chemo were reduced by short term bouts of fasting. So with the simple change of, not eating less, but eating at certain times of the day, your body can have the chance to help rebuild things that chemotherapy has destroyed and essentially prolong your life.
5. Fasting Helps improve Insulin Sensitivity– Fasting enables your body’s ability to handle carbohydrates better and aids in optimal hormone function overall.
Your liver, which is also referred to as your “second brain”, is responsible for the breakdown of insulin so when fasting is helping with insulin, your liver is also benefiting immensely. This balance of hormones, namely insulin, also lowers blood sugar which greatly reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
6. Fasting Improves Digestion– Fasting gives your digestive tract a break which allows it to heal.
When you think about all the food that you consume on a daily basis, your digestive system never quite gets the break it needs. Ulcerative colitis, ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease can be looked at as wounds of the digestive tract and when you constantly bombard the infected area with food, the body is so busy digesting that it never gets the chance to heal. Though there are many things that you can consume to help these issues, clinically, fasting has been shown to promote better bowel function.
7. Fasting Reduces Inflammation– Fasting brings about the production of a metabolite called β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB).
A recent study done by researchers at Yale School of Medicine discovered that when BHB is created it becomes responsible for blocking an inflammasome called NLRP3. NLRP3 drives the inflammatory response in several disorders including autoimmune diseases, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, and auto-inflammatory disorders. At the end of their study, they continued to explain that 1 day of fasting per week can greatly help reduction of inflammation.
There are many health benefits and kinds of fasts. Try to keep in mind that fasting is not a cure for bad behavior but rather a beneficial practice to incorporate into part of a healthy lifestyle. I recommend doing your research, trying different things and taking the time to figure out what is best for your body.
Do you fast or have tried a fast? Let me know your thoughts.
Stay positive, stay safe and thanks for stopping by!
Em
