The Benefits Of Fasting For your health: 8 Reasons You Should Consider Giving It A Try.

The Benefits of Fasting for Your Health: 8 Reasons Why You Should Give it a Try

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Fasting is the practice of intentionally abstaining from food or certain types of food for a set period of time. It’s not about starving yourself but more about self-control and discipline. There are many different kinds of fast, with intermittent fasting being one of the most popular at present. Intermittent fasting involves abstaining from food for a specific period of time on alternate days or week. The fast can last anywhere from 16 hours to several days. So, what are the benefits of fasting for your health? Here are 8 reasons why you should consider giving it a try...

Short and Long-term Benefits of Fasting for Your Health

These are some of the benefits of fasting for your health that you can expect to see in the short and long-term. Remember that fasting isn’t about depriving your body of nutrients and causing it harm; it’s about allowing your body to rest and repair itself. It’s about resetting your body and giving it the opportunity to heal itself from the inside out. You can expect to see improved energy levels and less fatigue. You’ll also notice that your blood pressure is reduced, which means that your heart and circulatory system will work less hard and be less stressed. You’ll have better digestion and less bloating, abdominal pain, and IBS symptoms. Your cravings will also be reduced and you’ll notice that your mood is improved and you have better focus and mental clarity. Your skin will look better, too, as you’ll have reduced inflammation and breakouts from acne. You could even lose weight, as intermittent fasting causes your body to release stored fats for energy!

Protection Against Ageing and Disease

This study published on pubmed.gov found that fasting for just a few days can help to reduce oxidative stress, a major culprit in the ageing process. Oxidative stress is caused by harmful free radicals that are produced during the process of cellular metabolism. These free radicals cause damage to our cells and DNA, which in turn can lead to ageing and disease. When you fast, your cells make use of a different pathway to generate energy, which means they’re less likely to produce free radicals and are therefore less likely to cause oxidative stress. Fasting can also help to reduce your levels of IGF-1, a growth factor that is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers, including breast and prostate cancer. There is some evidence to suggest that fasting could help to reduce the risk of developing cancer, too. In fact, studies have shown that regular intermittent fasting can reduce the risk of developing a range of cancers, including those of the breast, prostate, colon, and bladder.

Fasting helps to repair damaged cells

As your body doesn’t have the nutrients that it usually relies on to produce energy, it turns to another source of energy production: burning fat. The fat that your body burns is primarily broken down fat cells called adipocytes. As your body burns these fat cells, toxic debris, including broken down proteins, is released. Since your body doesn’t have the nutrients it normally would to help clean up this toxic debris, it’s forced to use a different process: autophagy. Autophagy is the process whereby your body breaks down and recycles old and damaged cells, including those that have become “infected” with this toxic debris. Fasting helps to trigger this process and clean up your cells. This has huge implications, not only for your health now, but also for the health of your children and grandchildren. Studies have shown that children whose mothers fasted during pregnancy have reduced allergies, asthma, and eczema.

Reduce inflammation

As if all of the above benefits weren’t enough, intermittent fasting can also help to reduce inflammation in your body. This is likely due to the reduction in IGF-1 and oxidative stress, as both of these things can trigger inflammation. If you suffer from joint pains, autoimmune diseases, or inflammation-related diseases, intermittent fasting could be a helpful addition to your treatment plan. The reduced and controlled levels of insulin in your body caused by intermittent fasting can also help to control blood sugar and insulin levels, which are major contributors to chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation can be a significant risk factor for a wide range of diseases and health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and type 2 diabetes. Intermittent fasting could help to reduce this risk by controlling your insulin and blood sugar levels, and reducing inflammation.

Lower Cholesterol and Blood Glucose Levels

Intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels and blood glucose levels. This is likely due to the reduction in IGF-1 and the fact that your body is burning fat for energy rather than glucose. However, the reductions may not be significant enough to warrant a change in your cholesterol-lowering medication or insulin dosage, so always consult your physician before making any changes.

Improve your mood and cognitive function

Fasting for just a few days can improve your mood and cognitive function. This is likely due to the increased production of new neurons in the hippocampus, the part of your brain associated with learning and memory. Studies have shown that fasting can increase the production of new neurons by as much as 50 percent! Fasting may also reduce your levels of stress-related hormones, including cortisol and norepinephrine. This will help to calm your nervous system, leading to less anxiety and a lower stress level. It may also help to improve your mood by improving your sleep quality, which has been associated with a more positive mood.

Fasting for the benefit of your digestion

As your body is getting ready to break down and use fat as its primary source of energy, it needs to be as efficient at doing this as possible. It does this by slowing down all other bodily processes, which can sometimes include your digestive system. This can cause you to experience symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhoea. Although these symptoms are usually temporary, they can be very uncomfortable. Fasting gives your digestive system a break, allowing it to take a breath and slow down. It can also help to reduce bloating and abdominal pain by helping to reduce the amount of gas in your digestive system. This can be helpful for people who experience digestive issues, including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Fasting for the benefit of your skin

As with all of the above points, fasting allows your body to rest and reset, which can be incredibly beneficial for your skin! Regular fasting can reduce inflammation, increase blood flow to the skin, and reduce insulin levels, which can help to reduce acne and blemishes. As well as reducing inflammation and insulin levels, fasting can also increase production of Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which aids the breakdown of fat cells and can also help to slow down the breakdown of collagen, which leads to wrinkles and sagging skin.

Conclusion

Intermittent fasting is not about starving yourself but more about self-control and discipline. There are many different kinds of fast, with intermittent fasting being one of the most popular at present. Intermittent fasting involves abstaining from food for a specific period of time on alternate days or week. The fast can last anywhere from 16 hours to several days. As you can see, there are many different benefits of fasting for your health, both short and long-term. These include reduced inflammation, lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and protection against ageing and disease. If you’re looking for a way to reset your body and improve your health please comsult with your physician prior to attempting a fast. It is so important to do this with the guidance of a professional.

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Sources:

Sutton, Elizabeth F et al. “Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Insulin Sensitivity, Blood Pressure, and Oxidative Stress Even without Weight Loss in Men with Prediabetes.” Cell metabolism vol. 27,6 (2018): 1212-1221.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2018.04.010

Mattson, Mark P et al. “Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes.” Ageing research reviews vol. 39 (2017): 46-58. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2016.10.005

Bragazzi, Nicola Luigi et al. “Fasting and Its Impact on Skin Anatomy, Physiology, and Physiopathology: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.” Nutrients vol. 11,2 249. 23 Jan. 2019, doi:10.3390/nu11020249

About The Author

My name is Austin Snow, I am the founder and author of ameliorating-man. I started this blog as an opportunity to devlop my writing and content creation skills. I have always loved writing, poetry mostly, which has been a creative outlet for me. The concept of ameliorating-man is simple, be the best man I can be, and to provide some helpful insight for other men wanting to better themselves. The word ameliorate means to "make better" and that is exactly my intention. I want to be a better man, a better husband, and a better father. I want to improve my health, my capacity for knowledge, my writing abilities, and my own personal skills. In my eyes that is what life is all about, being better than you were the day before. In this blog I will explore topics of personal interest including fitness, nutrition, mental health, relationships, fatherhood and any other self help topics I think can help benefit my life as a man. I will share my own stories and lessons that I have learned along the way as well as things I wish I would have known sooner to help others on their own respective journey.