Healthy Benefits of Fasting

Fasting is an age-old practice that is performed by abstaining from consumption of food and beverages for a set period of time. The rules of fasting may be different but the overall principal remains the same. In general, most fasts are performed over 24- 72 hours.

Fasting has shown to have multiple health benefits that have scientific backing as well. Let us find out the different benefits of fasting:

• Promotes health and wellness: Fasting boosts the overall health of an individual and helps in complete rejuvenation of the mind, body and soul. It helps put a temporary break on an overworked body which helps restart with fresh and renewed energy. Fasting boosts the body’s overall immune system and helps reduce inflammation. Inflammation in the body is one of the primary causes of non-communicable diseases like diabetes, thyroid, PCOS and hypertension. Fasting reduces the inflammatory markers and thus may be useful in the management of inflammatory conditions.

• Boosts Brain Function: Fasting has a powerful and positive effect on the brain. It not only impacts brain function but also influences the brain structure. Fasting increases the generation of nerve cells that help enhance cognitive Fasting is also helpful in preventing and protecting from neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s.
• Weight Management: Fasting aids in weight loss by limiting the calorie intake and boosting metabolism. Research states that short term fasting helps boost the metabolism which helps in weight loss. Fasting also helps preserve muscle tissue which helps in reducing body weight and body fat. In addition to this, fasting stimulates secretion of human growth hormone which plays an important role in growth, metabolism, weight loss and strength.
• Therapeutic Role: Fasting has a strong therapeutic effect in several disease managements. Fasting helps improve blood sugar control and reduces insulin resistance which is of utmost necessity in order to control diabetes, it helps treat inflammatory conditions like multiple sclerosis, enhance heart health by improving blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol levels. Fasting has also caught the attention of cancer therapy for its potential benefits to fight cancer, as it has been suggested that fasting could block tumour development and increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
• Extends Longevity: Fasting reduces inflammation which itself delays the ageing process and in turn extends longevity. Many studies do claim that fasting could delay the aging process and improve survival, but human research is still lacking.