There are a lot of beneficial points that we have to address when we talk about fasting. Check out the most 9important benefits that this can bring to the human body and mind.
Fasting is an ancient wisdom
The act of fasting, which involves abstaining from food, has been practiced since ancient times and has a long and significant history. Interestingly, the term “breakfast” actually refers to breaking the fast from the previous night. Fasting has been observed by many religions and cultures throughout history. Chinese Buddhists typically fast after their noon meal until the next morning, while Muslims fast from dawn until dusk during Ramadan.
Medical applications of fasting date back to at least the 5th century B.C. Hippocrates, a revered figure in medicine, advocated against eating while ill, stating that “to eat when you are sick, is to feed your illness.”
Fasting can reset immunity
There are two main forms of fasting: prolonged fasting, which lasts for at least 36 hours, and intermittent fasting, a popular lifestyle intervention that involves shorter fasting periods of 12 to 24 hours. Prolonged fasting is generally more effective than intermittent fasting when it comes to activating the reset and renewal of cells and tissues.
Throughout the day, the human body undergoes two main states: the fed state and the post-fed state, also referred to as the fasting state. These states exist in contrast to one another, similar to the concept of yin and yang.
Eating food typically leads to inflammation, whereas fasting encourages an anti-inflammatory response. As individuals are not independent entities, they come into contact with numerous pathogens, bacteria, and fungi in their surroundings. Consuming food introduces both nutrients and pathogens into the body, which in turn triggers the immune system.
Research has indicated that following a meal, there is a brief period of inflammation while the immune system eradicates harmful agents. This inflammation serves a useful purpose by safeguarding against infection and aiding the body’s protective functions.
It’s important to be mindful of frequent snacking and being in a constant state of being fed, as this can result in chronic inflammation. This can have detrimental effects on one’s health, including increased stress on the body, elevated blood pressure, reduced insulin sensitivity, as well as cell and tissue damage that impairs healing. Chronic inflammation is often linked to conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and more.
In contrast, “both intermittent and prolonged fasting activate genes that suppress inflammation, reduce inflammatory immune cells, and show signs of mitigating autoimmunity. Notably, a study published in Cell Stem Cell found that a three-day fasting period can reset the immune system by degrading old immune cells and regenerating new ones,” according to the official notes.
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