Important to know, is fasting healthy? 5 studies with answers

Fasting healthy?

A juice day once a month, a fasting and walking vacation, a detox cure at the start of a new season or fasting according to a belief or tradition: it's all very trendy. But does it do you any good?

Fasting can improve gut flora in people with type 2 diabetes.

Research has shown that fasting can have a number of positive effects on intestinal flora, including:

• Increasing the diversity of gut bacteria
• Reduction in the number of harmful bacteria
• Improving the balance of beneficial bacteria
• These changes in the gut microbiome may help improve blood sugar levels and other health problems associated with type 2 diabetes.

Fasting tradition and faith

• One of the five duties of Muslims is to fast during the 30 days of the month of Ramadan. The rule is that Muslims eat nothing and drink nothing from sunrise to sunset. At the conclusion of this period, there is an iftaar meal. This is a lavish meal with friends and/or neighbors. The Bible also has the ritual of fasting
• The Old Testament required fasting on only one occasion, the Great Day of Atonement. This custom was called "the fasting day" or "the fast." Otherwise, it occurs in all kinds of situations of need and goes along with prayer and often with accompanying sacrifices.
• And in the Catholic South, it was a custom to fast for the six weeks between Carnival and Easter, excluding Sundays.

In general, fasting is seen as a religious duty for which one expects reward. Often closeness to God and also self-control are mentioned as goals. Whether fasting is healthy does not matter much to faith and tradition.

Fasting lose weight or detoxify

Furthermore, fasting is also known (and popular) as a means of losing weight or detoxification. "A fasting diet can indeed be a good idea in certain circumstances," believes Dr. Nathan (endocrinologist ). "In many people who eat a lot of acidifying foods - i.e., foods with too many sugars and fats - the acidity (pH) of the organism is disturbed, causing it to function less well. Regularly incorporating a regimen of fruits and vegetables - foods that counteract acidification and regulate pH - will certainly benefit their health," she explains.

This can be done in several ways. You can fast completely, eating nothing and drinking only herbal tea and water. Or you can fast slightly less strict by not eating anything but drinking fruit and vegetable juices. You must be careful not to use such a regimen to then go on to eat lots of unhealthy fats or products with added sugars etc.

"That would put the body under stress twice: a first time because you're eating unhealthy the lion's share of the time and a second time because you're suddenly switching from very high calories to very low calories, in which case fasting is not healthy," Dr. Nathan said.

Also, if you suffer from labored digestion, you may benefit from a fasting regimen.

"Those who often experience a foggy tongue, sticky mouth and bloating can give their digestive system some rest now and then by fasting."

Starting slowly

After every (!) fasting fast - no matter how long it lasts - you should always slowly restart your normal diet. For example, after a juice day, make sure you don't put too many "acidic" products on your menu; "The gallbladder is then greatly stimulated, resulting in abdominal pain and diarrhea," says Dr. Nathan.

Juice fasting

By far the most well-known form of fasting, is the so-called "juice fast" (following the method of Dr. Bircher Benner). This Swiss doctor developed a form of fasting that has all kinds of advantages over other forms. Namely, the juices of fruits and vegetables have many minerals and vitamins. And the carbohydrates they contain are easily digestible. As a result, the breakdown of fat happens much more gradually than in tea fasting, for example.

Dangers of fasting

Because you take in less energy than your body needs, your body extracts protein from your muscles. Therefore, it is advisable not to do this for more than a few days at a time. After a longer time, valuable muscle tissue is broken down and the body does not get all the nutrients it needs. It is not always the case that fasting is healthy!

Fasting 5 days a month while maintaining your health

Researchers at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology conducted research on another form of fasting: eating only between 750 - 1100 calories, 5 days out of the month. They conducted their experiment with 100 participants ages 20 to 70.

The subjects were divided into two groups. The first group had to eat according to their regular diet for three months. Subjects in the second group were given a modified diet each month in which they took in between 750 and 1,100 calories for five days. After three months, the fasting subjects were in better health than the control group.

The results of this study show that fasting 5 days a month has a positive impact on blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and is anti-inflammatory. In moderation, fasting is healthy!

Maintaining muscle mass

In addition, it appears to have a positive effect on body fat without affecting muscles. And it has, according to the researchers, a beneficial effect on cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and aging.

Better health

After three months, the fasting subjects were in better health than the control group. To make sure there was no coincidence involved, the control group was then also put on the fasting diet. They too showed the same improvements after three months.

The beauty was that the improved health persisted even after all the subjects went back to eating normally. This study showed that fasting is healthy for a long time!

Under no circumstances should a fasting regimen exhaust you or prevent you from leading a normal life. If it does, the cure is too strict and you must stop it or supplement it with other foods such as starch products (potatoes, pasta).

10-hour fasting can improve blood glucose levels and insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes.

The study shows that people with type 2 diabetes who fast for 10 hours a day have a significant improvement in their blood glucose levels and insulin sensitivity compared to people who do not fast. This is probably because fasting reduces the amount of glucose in the blood and improves the body's ability to use insulin. You can conclude from this that fasting is healthy for people with type 2 diabetes.

Is fasting healthy?

The effectiveness of a diet depends on many factors. Losing a lot of weight quickly is never wise, so avoid so-called crash diets. People who are severely overweight (bmi > 30) are better off consulting a dietician for a customized diet, rather than dieting on their own.

Did you like the article whether fasting is healthy? We also have another article that you might find intressing: "Facts and Fables about Nutrition and Health"!

Source:
https://www.gezondheidsnet.nl/overgewicht-en-afvallen/is-vasten-goed-voor-de-gezondheid
http://www.bedrock.nl/2017/03/22/5-dagen-vasten-gezond/
https://www.allaboutprayer.org