July 28, 2024, 9:26 AM IST Lalit Kapoor in FIVE PILLARS OF HEALTH: A Blueprint for Wellbeing, Health, TOI
Fasting can be challenging for beginners, with hunger often dominating thoughts by noon. Despite this, fasting has long been used therapeutically in places like Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and California. Upton Sinclair’s 1911 book, “The Fasting Cure,” underscores its historical usage. Several clinics in these regions focus on healing through fasting.
Despite having enough body fat to last months, why do we feel famished while fasting? There are two main reasons:
1. We have developed an addiction to food, causing withdrawal symptoms like headaches.
2. Although our bodies evolved with regular feast and famine periods, modern humans rarely experience famine, making it hard to deal with even a single day of fasting.
Once you overcome the initial hurdles, fasting becomes easier. Over 90% of people report not feeling hungry during prolonged fasts. After introducing intermittent fasting, let’s explore other therapeutic fasting methods.
Prolonged fasting
Prolonged fasting extends beyond 24 hours and holds significant therapeutic value. When all else fails, prolonged fasting is considered a treatment of last resort. It has been practiced in various countries for many years. For example, California’s “True North Health Center” in Santa Rosa supervises water fasts for up to 40 days. Dr. Alan Goldhamer, the director, has seen considerable success.
During prolonged fasting, follow these suggestions:
– Add a pinch of Himalayan salt to your water.
– Avoid stress.
– Engage in soothing activities like meditation.
– Stay physically active and follow your typical daily regimen.
– Any fast over 72 hours should be medically supervised.
Methods of prolonged fasting
Prolonged fasting can be done in different ways with varying levels of intensity:
A. Liquid fast:
Consume water and clear liquids like juice and soups. This is truly not a fast but just a detox program.
B. Fruits only fast:
Water fast for 24 hours and then break it with a fruit only meal. Many Indian religious fasts come under this category.
C. Water fast:
Fasts consuming only water can be done for long periods and are very therapeutic. The longest water only fast on record is 382 days.
D. Dry fast:
Not even water is consumed during a dry fast.
It is considered two to three times more effective than water fasting.
Progress gradually
Prolonged fasting should be approached gradually. Those accustomed to intermittent fasting can extend their fasting window to 24 hours by skipping breakfast and lunch, then eating dinner at the regular time. Once comfortable with a 24-hour fast, you can skip dinner and eat the next day at your regular time, achieving a 40-hour fast. Hindus call this the Ekadashi fast and Jains call it Tivihar. You can gradually extend this to 48, 64, and 72 hours. Any fast longer than 72 hours should be supervised.
During water-only fasts, you’ll urinate more, so add some Himalayan salt to your water to maintain mineral balance. People with serious illnesses should consult their physicians before starting fasting. The goal of therapeutic fasting is to achieve autophagy, which starts about 22-24 hours after the body runs out of protein. Eating low-protein fruits like apples can maintain autophagy even after breaking the fast.
Preservation vs procreation
Human cells are genetically programmed for two main functions: self-preservation and procreation. During times of plenty, the body focuses on procreation. During food shortages, the focus shifts to preservation. This is why, during chemotherapy or radiation treatments, a 5-day OMAD fast is recommended monthly.
Sugar depletion
The first energy source to deplete is sugar, stored as glycogen in muscles and the liver. Glycogen stores last about 12 hours. When depleted, the body converts fat into ketone bodies for brain energy, entering ketosis. The body can remain in ketosis for a long period, with the longest recorded water fast lasting 382 days.
Protein depletion
When protein runs out, the body recycles waste proteins stored in each cell’s lysosome into amino acids. It also recycles dead and damaged cells for protein, including senescent cells which are cells that have stopped reproducing but are not quite dead.
8 stages of fasting
The body goes through various stages during fasting; some stages occur in a step-like fashion, as in intermittent fasting, while others occur on a continuum. The timing of these stages can depend on the composition of the meals consumed before fasting. For example, a low-carb meal may trigger ketosis sooner, while a low-protein meal may trigger autophagy earlier. The following outlines the various stages the human body undergoes while fasting. The time frames are approximate, as individual experiences can vary based on factors like gut microbiome and the content of pre-fasting meals.
-12 hours: Ketosis
As glycogen in the liver is depleted, the body shifts its metabolic pathway to fat-burning mode (ketosis). During ketosis, unwanted fat is released to provide fuel. The metabolic rate increases, encouraging the body to seek food. This stage is typically achieved during daily intermittent fasting, helping one loose unwanted fat.
– 18 hours: Stress response
As ketone body levels rise in the blood, the body activates stress-busting pathways to lower inflammation and repair DNA damage.
– 24 hours: Autophagy (Intracellular)
At 24 hours cells start recycling protein waste kept in a trash container inside every cell (called lysosome).
– 36 hours: Autophagy (Intercellular):
As further time passes the body also begins to recycle dead, damaged and senescent cells and misfolded proteins.
– 48 hours: Growth hormones
Growth hormone levels peak, reaching almost five times the pre-fasting levels due to the hunger hormone ghrelin promoting growth hormone secretion.
– 54 Hours: Insulin sensitivity
Insulin levels drop to their lowest point, increasing the body’s insulin sensitivity.
– 72 hours: Immune system renewal
The immune system renews, breaking down old immune cells and generating new ones. Cancer cells become more susceptible to chemotherapy, while normal cells become more resistant.
– Refeeding stage
Gradual refeeding is crucial, with food intake slowly increasing to normal levels over a period equal to half the fasting duration. Here is a Russian study highlighting this importance.
Dry fasting: A Russian experiment
A Russian study by Dr. Perfecta Y. S. Nicholaia involved 120 mice split into four groups, each inoculated with Sarcoma at different stages:
• Group-1 before starting dry fast. The survival rate was 50%.,
• Group-2 during dry fast. The survival rate was 66%.
• Group-3 upon termination of dry fast. The survival rate was 100%
• Group-4 did not fast. The survival rate was 0%.
Fasting highlights the body’s adaptability and potential health benefits. Continuous feeding deprives the body of autophagy, leading to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Experts recommend a 10-day prolonged fast annually, which doesn’t have to be water-only. Consuming one meal a day with fewer than 500 calories, ideally low in protein, can be beneficial. Cultural customs like Navratri and Ramadan include fasting, but many people make concessions that negate the benefits. Please watch the linked videos below on the subject.
A one day starvations secret that got the Nobel Prize
World’s largest Fasting Study (2020)
To read the complete article on Times Of India, click here
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