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How Does Fasting Affect Your Health | Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad?

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Fasting benefits

Is daily fasting good or bad for you? How does fasting affect your health? Fasting is considered a good practice that has been associated with various health benefits and improving overall body functions. It helps in weight reduction, improving blood glucose levels, obesity management, improving metabolic functions, and helps in prevention of the cancer.

Intermittent fasting is very helpful in disease prevention, especially lifestyle diseases, and lowers the risk of diseases. It helps in using your body fat and cleanses your body from harmful toxins and oxidants. Your body naturally detoxifies with intermittent fasting, it overhauls the body systems including the digestive system, and cardiovascular system, and improves blood sugar levels too.

It’s proven that the brain functions quite well in the fasted state if you have adopted intermittent fasting. It promotes healthy brain functions; improves cognition, sleep, mood and energy, and self-confidence.

Benefits of fasting

  • Helps in Blood sugar management and Type 2 Diabetes reversal
  • Prevents lifestyle diseases and obesity
  • Improve brain functions
  • Delays aging and improve immunity
  • Support metabolic function of the Body
  • Improved heart health

Is fasting good for your body?

Short-term fasting especially intermittent fasting is really good and gives excellent health benefits and reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases. Research says that fasting is becoming a more acceptable and legitimate way to control weight, reverse diabetes, reducing the risk of heart attacks and other health ailments.

Does fasting help your heart?

Yes, it is. Some studies have proven and indicated that fasting might have better metabolic functions which improve cardiovascular function resulting in better heart health. Regular fasting is linked with your body's metabolism which also helps in blood sugar control. Better blood sugar control lowers the risk of heart attacks.

Is fasting harmful to your health?

Is fasting safe? This question comes to the mind of diabetics mostly. Intermittent fasting can help diabetics reverse diabetes especially very effective in early diabetes and pre-diabetic stage. Fasting for a few days up to 16 hours a day won’t hurt you provided you don’t get dehydrated. Your body needs Glucose, Fat, Protein, vitamins, and minerals to stay healthy and fit. You can get the required nutrition from 2 meals in the day if you prefer to go with 16 hours of intermittent fasting. This is very much safe and improves your body's vital functions, improves your memory and brain functions too.

What are the disadvantages of fasting?

There are no long-term disadvantages of fasting but can promote overeating. It depends on your will and the way intermittent fasting is scheduled. You may tend to over-eat after fasting and can consume more calories which can affect you adversely. Fasting may reduce physical activities and you may feel tired if hydration is not maintained. Also can lead to eating disorders if you have no control over your cravings.

Can fasting cause damage your organs?

Not necessarily, but yes if the fasting is extremely prolonged and not balanced. It is possible to lose calories, weight, fat, and nutrients from your diet. Prolonged and extreme fasting can damage your organs if hydration is not maintained. So this is advisable not to prolong your fasting more than 16 hours and take small meals between before and after fasting hours. You should ensure proper hydration of your during fasting days.

Is fasting for a day healthy?

Yes, of course, a day of fasting helps in improving your body functions and improves your cardiovascular and execratory system. Occasional 24 hours of fasting rejuvenate your body cells and eliminate toxins from the cells which improves the functions of the cell and your body as well. There is much evidence from the research on animals showing that fasting plays an important role in reducing the risk of cancers and helps in fighting certain kinds of cancers.

Why you should not fast?

Fasting as a whole is very helpful but may cause problems in some cases. If you are on anti-diabetic medicines or on insulin, fasting can risk your health. This is advisable to consult with your treating doctor first before taking the decision of fasting if you are a diabetic. Moreover, people who regularly fast more than 18 hours a day and do not maintain hydration have a risk of developing gall stones.

How long is it safe to fast?

Ideally, 16 to 18 hours of fasting is considered safe but you should limit your fasting periods up to 24 hours. You may feel tired, hungry, and irritable during fasting but it is temporary and safe. To keep yourself safe, keep a snack or a candy on hand in case you start feeling faint or ill to avoid hypoglycemia.

What Happens After 16 hours of fasting?

When you eat, carbohydrate converts into glucose and get absorbed into the blood then reaches your body cells with the help of insulin. Once you cross the 16 hours fasting period, the glucose in cells is burned first to give you energy and then glycogen in the liver and muscles starts converting into glucose faster. Once the glycogen storage is reduced then your body fat starts burning to fulfil your body’s need for energy. As result, you start losing weight and it helps in controlling the blood sugar. Your insulin resistance improves and Beta cells of the pancreas start becoming more active after fasting.

Conclusion and importance of Intermittent Fasting

When you fast regularly for a longer duration as Muslims do in the month of Ramadan every year, it leads to a metabolic switch in your body resulting in fat loss and elimination of toxins from the body. Month-long fasting detoxifies your body and other body functions; it also reduces inflammatory markers after a period of intermittent fasting.

After a period of fasting, the glycogen stored in the liver and muscles is depleted which reduces the risk of high blood sugar and promotes the burning of fat, and controls obesity. Fasting also allows the gut to cleanse and strengthen the gut lining. The self-cleaning process is started after fasting, cells remove damaged and dangerous particles which is called autophagy.

About Dr Musharraf Husain

Dr Musharraf Husain is a seasoned healthcare professional. He has great exposure to healthcare industry. He is expert in Herbal healthcare, Health Insurance, Hospital Operations and Healthcare Management space
Dr Musharraf Husain created Advehealth.com as a way to share all the incredible knowledge, health news and helpful advice to the world. He is inspired by the Arabic word “Iqra” which means read & learn and teach and wish to spread the knowledge, wisdom and insight for the humanity.

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