13 Amazing Health Benefits of Fasting

Fasting is not a new thing. For centuries, the practice has played a central role in several religions and cultures. While many people all over the world fast for religious and cultural reasons, there are also proven health benefits of this practice, as long as you do it safely. 

What is fasting?

Fasting is when you do not eat for a certain period of time. Some religious fasting practices may require not consuming any food or beverage at all, regardless of calories.  

Types of fasting 

There are many different types of fasts, making it easy to find a method that fits your lifestyle. Experiment with different types to find what works best for you.

Here are a few of the most common types of fasting:

1. Water fasting: Involves drinking only water for a set amount of time.

2. Juice fasting: Entails only drinking vegetable or fruit juice for a certain period.

3. Intermittent fasting: Intake is partially or completely restricted for a few hours up to a few days at a time and a normal diet is resumed on other days.

4. Partial fasting: Certain foods or drinks such as processed foods, animal products or caffeine are eliminated from the diet for a set period.

5. Calorie restriction: Calories are restricted for a few days every week.

13 Amazing Health Benefits of Fasting 

Below are 13 proven  health benefits of fasting that will surprise you and hopefully give you the motivation you need to get started with the practice.

1. Reduces Inflammation 

One of the main benefits of fasting is that it may reduce inflammation. 

Inflammation is your body's natural response to infection and usually disappears after damaged cells are healed. However, when your body undergoes oxidative stress — a process caused by an accumulation of free radicals — you can enter a state of chronic inflammation. That's because these free radicals, which can come from both outside sources like pollution and bodily processes like digestion, begin attacking healthy tissues and cells. 

Chronic inflammation can damage healthy cells, tissues, and organs, and is associated with many diseases, including heart attacks and strokes.

There are several ways that fasting may reduce inflammation in the body. First, when your body is in a fasted state, it is unable to convert glucose from food into energy. Instead, your body has to rely on an alternative energy source called ketone bodies, which come from fatty acids. Your body produces fewer free radicals when burning ketones, which helps to reduce inflammation. 

2. Toxin Elimination

When toxins enter the system, the body tries to neutralize them or eliminate them them through the intestines, liver, lungs, kidneys, lymph glands, and skin. If these systems fail to cleanse the toxins, they simply become stored in body fat.

Fasts cleanse our systems from toxins and chemical residue (synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides, detergents, etc.) without harming our health.

3. Regulates Blood Sugar Levels

Fasting may also regulate blood sugar levels. Maintaining normal blood sugar is important to protect against diseases like type 2 diabetes. 

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by reduced insulin sensitivity, which leads to increased levels of sugar in the bloodstream.

Blood sugar increases when you eat, so it naturally falls when you fast. However, your body will prevent your blood sugar from dipping too much by making glucose itself. This keeps your blood sugar at a healthy levels, which is considered above 70 mg/dL. 

4. Weight Loss

Fasting does indeed help with weight loss. When we fast, insulin decreases dramatically, and lower levels of insulin facilitate fat burning. 

5. Improves The Immune System 

Ever noticed that when animals fall sick, they stop eating? Have you ever wondered why this happens?

That’s a natural instinct through which the animals try to reduce the stress on their internal systems and focus their energy on battling the infection.

Therefore, next time you fall sick, resist the temptation to look for food and focus on fasting instead.

Fasting does a number of things to your immune system. According to one study, a three day fast can lead to the regeneration of the entire immune system and the production of totally brand new white blood cells which have a stronger ability to fight disease.

As we saw earlier, fasting also triggers the burning of fats and the release of toxins from the body, which can also enhance the body’s ability to fight diseases.

Breaking the fast with fruits can boost your immune system even further by providing your body with a source of essential vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamins A and E which are great antioxidants.

6. Boosts Brain Productivity 

Research has proven that fasting helps boost brain power. When our bodies are overworked and overwhelmed by the stresses of daily activities, stress levels increase and disrupt sleep patterns.

During a state of fasting, our brain goes into a meditative mode, enhancing its ability to regulate stress levels and thus helping us make better strategic decisions.

7. Improves Heart Health 

At a time when more people are dying from heart diseases than from any other disease, it is great to know that you can reduce the risk of developing heart diseases through fasting. 

Fasting has a number of benefits for your heart.

First, we already saw that fasting can help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This is important because people suffering from diabetes have an increased risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases.

During fasting, the body also burns up some of the LSD cholesterol in the body to provide fuel. This is good on two fronts because LSD cholesterol is a major contributor to decreased insulin sensitivity and diabetes, and because it also contributes to increase in blood pressure, both of which are risk factors for developing heart disease.

Fasting also helps reduce several other risk factors associated with an increased risk of developing heart diseases, including blood sugar levels, inflammatory markers and blood triglycerides.

8. Balances Energy Levels 

The body does require energy to move throughout the day, but contrary to popular opinion, fasting does not deplete that energy.

With the proper diet, it’s estimated that more than 50 percent of food intake is transformed into stored energy. Fasting balances food intake and energy use.

9. Speeds Up Metabolism 

Fasting also helps boost your metabolism.

A weak digestive system normally affects your ability to metabolize food and burn fat.

By fasting intermittently, you provide time for your digestive system to get some rest. When you eat next after your digestive system has rested, your metabolism receives a boost, which means that your body burns calories more efficiently and gets more energy from the food you eat.

10. Decreased Risk of Cancer 

Research has also found that fasting reduces an enzyme called PKA, a protein-dependent enzyme that has several functions in cells, including the regulation of glycogen and the metabolism of sugar and lipids. PKA is also linked to an aging hormone that increases cancer risk and tumor growth. 

11. Helps Protect Against Depression 

Fasting may have an antidepressant effect, thanks to its ability to make feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and endogenous opioids more available to your brain. Fasting and calorie restriction have been shown to relieve negative emotions like tension and anger and boost feelings of euphoria.

12. Rejuvenates The Skin and Prevents Acne

If you have been trying cream after cream trying to make your skin look better, you might be surprised to learn that you can achieve the look you want through fasting.

How does this happen? Fasting has a number of effects that help improve your skin.

First and foremost, fasting gives the body a break from digestion, allowing the body to expend more energy on regulating and improving the function of others organs such as the liver, the kidneys, and the skin.

Fasting also helps the body to get rid of toxins that might be contributing to skin conditions.

Remember, we also saw that fasting helps reduce inflammation, which is one of the culprits behind some skin conditions like acne. In addition to improving how your skin looks, fasting also contributes to healthy and strong hair and nails and whitens your eyes.

All in all, fasting not only improves how you feel, it also improves how you look.

13. Psychological Benefits 

On a psychological level, fasting represents the renewal of ourselves and invites a state of peace. With repetition, our behavior changes and we become more relaxed. It is through abstaining that we regain control of our nerves and can assimilate to the environment around us if and when it is filled with negative energy.

How To Fast Safely

Fasting times can range significantly. While intermittent fasting usually involves fasting for about 16 hours a day, longer fasts can range from 24 to 72 hours. 

There's no magic amount of time you should fast for. The best thing to do is to listen to your body and determine what type of fast works for you. If you are feeling jittery, nauseous, faint, or otherwise unwell while fasting, you should consider breaking your fast.   

People who should not fast include those who are:

• Pregnant
• Breastfeeding
• Have a history of eating disorders

You should consult with your doctor before fasting if you are: 

• Under the age of 18
• Have diabetes or blood sugar issues 

Conclusion 

Fasting is a practice that has been associated with a wide array of potential health benefits, including weight loss, as well as improved blood sugar control, heart health, brain function and cancer prevention.

From water fasting to intermittent fasting and calorie restriction, there are many different types of fasting that fit nearly every lifestyle.  When coupled with a nutritious diet and healthy lifestyle, incorporating fasting into your routine could benefit your health.

However, fasting is not advisable for certain people, and going too long without food can be harmful. If you are interested in fasting, it is important to listen to your body and ask your doctor if it's safe to fast.