Science And Many Religions Of The World Agree That Fasting Has Many Health Benefits

Fasting means willings giving up on food or restricting some food groups for a period of time. A dry fast is a fast where you abstain from all foods and liquid for 24 hours. Water fast is fast where you are only allowed to drink water. Fasting is not something restricted to Muslims, people all over the world fast in one way or the other. Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews all fast. Of course, the way fast is observed in each religion differs. But one thing is certain, people have been fasting since centuries. Surely, they must have realized benefits of fasting.

Benefits of Fasting

Prevent Parkinson’s and Alzheihmer’s

According to research from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, intermittent fasting can be really good for the brain. Reducing intake of calories at least twice a week improves how neurons connect in the hippocampus. This can help prevent neurodegenrative diseases. Calorie reduction has the same effect on brain health as exercise. When you exercise or when you fast, you reduce glycogen levels in the liver, which makes your body burn fat. The fat is converted to ketones which fuel the brain and positively impactmemory and cognition. Fasting also protects the brain’s neurons from accumulation of plaque, which is common for patients suffering from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

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Reduce Oxidative Stress

Our body is always trying to cleanse and detoxify itself but during a fast the detoxification is even better because there is no incoming food. When the body does not have to focu on digesting food, it can focus on other important tasks. It focuses on cellular repair which is great for optimal cleansing. Fasting can not only help with detoxification, it can also reduce oxidative stress. This is very important as oxidative stress is the major cause behind the development of many chronic diseases and disorders such as diabetes and heart diseases. Fasting also improves heart health and reduces vessel stiffness.

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Reduce Bad Cholestrol

If you are looking for a way to reduce bad cholestrol, fasting may help. Fast can not only reduce overall cholestrol, it does it very efficiently. Fasting reduces bad cholestrol and triglycerides but it does not lower the good cholestrol.

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Blood Sugar Management

When you are not eating and drink for a period of time, your blood levels of insulin drop considerably. So fasting can improve blood glucos control. Fasting can even help people with severe blood sugar issues such as type2 diabetes. Fasting has  apositive impact on type-2 diabetic patients. Fast is a safe, tolerable way to improve fasting glucose levels and also glucose levels after meals.

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Reduce Disease Risk

Fast can decrease the rsk of many metabolic and chronic illnesses. This is why it can also increase life span. Animal and human research both have shown that abstaining from food for a period of time can have a positive effect on many risk factors that lead to the development of metabolic diseases like diabetes.

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Frees Up Energy For Healing

We are eating the year down. Over indulgence can be bad for the body. When we give our bodies more food than it can handle, it suffers. The digesting process itself takes up so much energy. 65% of the body’s energy is used by the digestive organs to digest a heavy meal. One of the benefits of fasting is that it frees up all this energy so that it could be used for healing. It can repair cells, organs and tissues. It can detox. It can get rid of toxin elements and natural metabolic waste that is produced by healthy cells. So when you are fasting, your body heals itself.

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Losing Weight

I am not implying that fasing will make you lose weight. I am merely saying fasting can help you lose weight. When you are fasting, you have fewer opporunities to eat. If you try to eat healthy when you do eat, it can be easier to lose weight. When you are fasting, do not indulge in fattening food when you eat, and you will automatically lose weight.

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Self Control

One of the best benefits of fasting is the degree of self control it gives to you. You learn to control yourself. For once your instincts, taste buds, and mind does not control you. You control yourself. You learn to exercise restarain. This is a great quality and it can help you in many aspects of your life.

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There are many benefits of fasting. Not only do people belonging to different religions have agreed to this, but many researches have also confirmed it. However, do not expect to have all these benefits with 1 day of fasting. As with anything else, you need to be consistent. Moreover, do not indulge in unhealthy foods when you eat after a fast as this will be counterproductive.

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Do you fast? What do you thinks are the benefits of fasting, according to your experience? Share with us in the comments below!

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