How Fasting Works & Fasting Benefits
Why Fast? How Does Fasting Work?
Fasting is a practice that’s been around for the last 2000 years or more really. All four major religions observe different fasting practices. However medically it’s not been given a lot of attention until recently.
We now have a tonne of research on the topic and have seen the clinical benefits of fasting. In this article I’ll cover some of the basics around fasting.
Currently in developed and western countries one of the biggest issues we’re faced with is an over consumption of food. If you take a look at the 6 most common diseases that shorten our life span and lead to early mortality you’ve got; diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease all linked to poor diet choices and over consumption of calories.
On a very basic level fasting provides us with an opportunity to limit the amount of calories we’re consuming. There are many different types of fasts I’ll outline a few below however we know that when you have a prolonged period of time with no food your body goes into a state called ketosis.
physiological changes that happen in your body when you fast:
Reduction of glucose stores in the liver
Decrease in insulin and circulating blood glucose
Trigger of cell repair and clean up
Reduction of some immune cells
Reduction in load on the digestive system (5-15% of bodies energy is spent on digestion)
Fasting Benefits
I’m going to cover just some of the major areas where fasting has been explored for health and disease in the research:
Fasting for Weight loss
When you fast for a period of time your blood glucose levels decrease and this results in a decrease in insulin as well. If you fast long enough you may go into a state of ketosis which is where you start using fat for fuel.
There was a study that looked at obesity and time restricted eating in a 4 and 6 hour window. They found several markers improved, including weight loss, reduction in insulin resistance as well as a reduction in oxidative stress. Interestingly there wasn’t a huge difference in results between the 4 and 6 hour groups.
Fasting and Cancer
There was a study conducted on 2,400 women looking at early stage breast cancer and fasting.
There were particularly interested in the prognosis of patients who took part in extended night time fasts.
They concluded that nightly fasting had the potential to reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence. They seem to think that improvements in the regulation of glucose and improvements in sleep from fasting may be the mechanisms that help here.
There have also been some discussions around cancer cells being less likely to be able to survive with a lack of access to sugar. Another potential reason, but it is a protocol that has been implemented in cancer clinics around the world.
Fasting for Ageing and Longevity
There has been much interest on this particular topic!!!… or is it just me? 🙄 Lol
Okay so as mentioned earlier fasting helps to trigger autophagy (the cells capacity to deconstruct bits of itself and then build new molecules.) The word comes from a Greek word meaning “self devouring”
Why is AUTOPHAGY important?
Well, because if we have run down, damaged cells then the cells capacity to re-produce and duplicate is also affected. It’s through this process for cleaning up if you will that fasting has the capacity to extend life.
Telomere erosion is also a factor in ageing- These are like little caps on the end of your chromosomes to stop them from fraying, kind of like the caps on the end of your shoelaces. It has been shown to be a significant issue in ageing. Calorie restriction has been found to have a significant impact on several ageing related phenomena, you can read a more extensive article on the topic here.
Interestingly there are ancient texts written by the yogi sages that say a wise practitioner will limit their food intake in order to experience more health and longevity.
The ancient Essenes were also big on fasting, in fact they taught it as a means to health.
This breakdown and repair also happens in the mitochondria called Mitophagy. Being the powerhouse of the cells improving these will also improve our energy production.
This may also be a factor in why many people report an improvements in their brain function and focus.
Fasting to reduce inflammation and improve healing
There is a study that has shown fasting reduces inflammation and improves chronic inflammatory diseases.
As mentioned above while fasting your body gets busy with repair processes.
In particular there was a reduction in monocytes which are significant players in the inflammatory response but importantly there was no effect on the immune systems ability to fight acute infections in this study.
Fasting for gut health
This is a particular area of interest as one of the most common issues I see clinically is gut related problems especially long standing chronic issues.
There was a study conducted that found water-only fasting increased regenerative and reduced inflammatory markers in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Now you’ll remember I mentioned we use a significant amount of energy to digest food and when you think about it when we’re constantly eating over long periods of time the digestive system never really gets a break to rest and repair.
Unless of course we fast for short periods of time.
Fasting not only gives your digestive system a break it also has been found to have an impact on your gut microflora.
Key thing to remember here is what you eat when you break your fast is important. Especially during longer fasts you want to ensure you’re eating easily digestible and nutrient dense foods that are gut friendly.
So as tempting as it is to reach for the pizza plan out your first meal in advance.
I haven’t gone into it in this particular article as I plan on writing an article exclusively on the benefits of fasting for auto-immune conditions so keep your eye out for that as I will talk about a number of approaches being used on that front.
Who is fasting not good for?
So you’ve read all the benefits and you’re ready to jump on board and ditch the meals?
Download an app and track your hours?… hold up!
There is a long list of individuals who should not fast due to the risks involved.
I strongly advise you not to fast without clinical supervision.
A qualified health care provider can check your current health status and asses the level of risks involved with fasting as well as give you a proper protocol to follow so that you’re mitigating some of that risk.
I’ve had many clients share with me their fasting gone wrong stories; from feeling ill for prolonged periods of time due to toxic releases, to fainting hitting their head and needing stitches, to doing significant damage to their metabolism long term.
It has its risks and it’s important that you do it intelligently and appropriately for your body and medical history.
Another key point here is during the non fasting periods your nutrient intake and diet becomes even more important so that you have all of the essential minerals and vitamins needed for optimum health and this requires some tracking and counselling.
It’s not simply a matter of just not eating, and continuing on with your current regime but rather making sure that for your age and stage of life you’re getting enough of the macro nutrients, carbs, fats and proteins and also that your getting adequate amounts of all the micronutrients, vitamins and minerals.
While on the topic best to note that having some pathology markers tested before you commence on your fasting journey is essential. Otherwise how are you to track the effects of fasting on your body and overall health? Also you may pick up some current imbalance or deficiency that needs to be addressed before you consider fasting. So make an appointment to see your healthcare practitioner.
Absolutely avoid fasting if you have:
Low blood pressure.
Insulin resistance- I know right? it’s beneficial but you need to stay safe and be monitored throughout to make sure your blood chemistry is safe and medications are adjusted throughout the process. Your health practitioner can help you with this.
Any history of any type of eating disorders- please stay right away as it’s a slippery slope
You’re on any medications- there are certain medications that will be affected by fasting.
Pregnant or breastfeeding
Finding The Right Fasting Regime
You’re an individual you have a genetic make-up that is very particular to you. This will impact whether fasting is a viable option for you, but also how often, and when is best.
Researchers have also found that circadian rhythms have a significant impact on the results of fasting, and that fasting has the ability to change your body clock. So please keep that in mind if you’re starting out with changing your meal times. It’s a great idea to keep track of your sleep patterns while you’re fasting.
There has been research that shows fasting later in the day has more benefits than fasting in the early morning even when total hours of fasting are equal. Again the link to your circadian rhythm it’s all connected ; )
A fairly safe and easy place to get started on your journey is to ensure you’re not eating 3 hours before you’re planning on going to bed this has been shown to have many health benefits including improving sleep. However check with your health practitioner if you have a history of any illness especially blood sugar related imbalances.
Another point to be made here is you need to build your fasting muscles! So if you’re use to eating a lot and often you don’t want to simply jump into a fast. It’s intelligent to first limit the sugar intake for a week, and then try the three hours I’ve mentioned above and then take it from there slowly building your way up week to week.
I hope you found this article information if you have any questions about clinical fasting programs or if they’re appropriate for you feel free to schedule a call.
For more information on how to move well, think well, and eat well, check out more blog articles here.