What are the Benefits of Fasting?

Fasting has been a custom in religious and cultural traditions for countless centuries, but it entered the mainstream as a potential health regimen only in the 19th century. For some people, fasting was and is viewed as a method of cleansing the body and losing weight quickly. The jury is still out on the benefits of fasting, and one should attempt the practice only after consultation with a medical doctor.

Fasting can be defined in a number of ways. One may abstain from all foods, or only certain foods. A person can survive for upward of two months without a single bite of food, assuming that his body remains well-hydrated. On the other hand, one’s body can only survive for approximately three days without water. The importance of water intake cannot be over-emphasized.

While there is little scientific documentation that definitively proves the benefits of fasting, practitioners of holistic medicine offer a number of claims. Many say that fasting leads to a stronger immune system and increased energy. Others say that a planned fast can lead to lowered blood pressure, lowered cholesterol, and lowered glucose levels in the blood stream. The most prevalent alleged benefits of fasting usually revolve around bodily cleansing.

Fasting, say proponents of the method, cleanses the body of toxins and chemicals. The conventional wisdom states that, when the body breaks down its fat deposits, poisons that might have been stored in lipid cells are removed via the normal process of bodily elimination. Many who believe that fasting is critical to good health say that energy normally used to digest food moves to the immune system, resulting in quicker healing. Again, the veracity of this line of reasoning has yet to be proven by scientific method.

Research does seem to show that fasting over several days may lead to an endorphin release. This benefit of fasting may bring on a sense of mental acuity and focus. That sense, however, may only be a perception on the part of the person engaging in a fast. One taking part in a serious fast may in fact be suffering from short-term mental confusion due to lack of nutrients.

Diabetics, because of rapid swings in blood-sugar levels, should always avoid fasting. Again, anyone engaging in a fast should first speak to a physician and remain very well hydrated. Some in the nutrition field have come to believe that eating only raw foods, such as fruits and vegetables, offers all of the potention benefits of fasting, but without the risk factors.