True, but this is not an endorsement for new readers of Vital Votes to go out and have a steady diet of acrylamide (Class 1 Carcinogen) laden deep fried food either.

Said another 'way', donuts remain safe only for Homer Simpson.

Uncle Russ

You are correct about fat metabolism and ketones.  Unfortunately, the body interprets fasting as a stress and automatically releases adrenaline which has the unfortunate side-effect of breaking down protein.  It can't be helped. 

foxtroter - - Can you cite for me examples of individuals wasting away or suffering negative impact from fasting for health? You are citing physiological claims about the body related to endocinology and protien needs, but do you have examples of studies that have shown fasting to be destructive to the individuals health?

What you are claiming about body functions may be true,.. but it would seem possible that the understanding of the role of such functions in relation to fasting may not be understood. I just do not see the evidence of the negative impact you are attributing to fasting.

Shiva—Anything is possible. Perhaps there may be some benefits from fasting. It is just my opinion that the good benefits do not outweigh the potential bad effects.

Skipping a meal here or there or fasting a bit here or there is probably not going to kill anyone. All I am stating is the known biochemical/endocrinology effects of fasting. Unfortunately while fasting, though it may feel good (physically and spiritually), there is the known unfortunate side-effect that muscle mass and bone density are broken down to keep the body going rebuilding hormones, neurotransmitters, etc. that are used once and thrown away.

How much is broken down each time one skips a meal or fasts for 24 hours? I’m not aware of any specific study quantifying it. It is known that the ability to build muscle mass and bone density becomes increasingly difficult after age 35. Every time one skips a meal or fasts there is a slight loss of lean body mass. Small bits here and there can add up to osteoporosis and the inevitable loss of muscle mass that plagues people as they get over.

I choose not to drink a soda here or there or have pizza now and then not because the will kill me, but it know it all adds up. I personally put fasting in the same category, but that is just me.

Having been a diabetic and reversed it, building muscle mass was extremely important for me. Body builders know that they can’t build muscle without good food going in. I thus, made sure I never skipped meals or fasted as any small decline in muscle mass for me would mean increased insulin resistance.

I found this quote from “The Schwarzbein Principle” by Diana Schwarzbein, M.D. interesting:

There are two sources of raw materials available to keep the brain alive and to fuel the continual reconstruction that goes on within our body:

1. Food: Each time you take a bite of food, you have a new opportunity to change your metabolism. By eating the right foods, you not only ensure your survival; you improve your health, too.
2. Your own body mass: If you eat less than adequate amounts of food or the wrong combination of foods, you will consume your own tissue stores to stay alive. Needless to say, if you had no food at all you would eventually die. Indeed, people are slowly killing themselves on a daily basis by depriving their bodies of essential raw materials. They are, in effect, eating themselves from the inside out.

Foxtroter -- -- I gotta say that the purpose of fasting is not to "feel good" , . and that is not why people practice it. (although one certainly does feel rejuvinated after completing a fast),.. As alluded to here earlier,. it is well known that fasting brings about the elimination of the likes of tumors and other unhealthy tissue from the body. During fasting the body does break down and eliminate toxic material and substances from it's tissues. .. This is the primary reason that people fast. ... Another one of course is a spiritual one in that traditionally cultures have known that fasting can assist to induce a more expanded state of consciousness.

The quote you have cited from Dr. Schwarzbein is in my opinion very true. I do not assume from that statement however that it would neccessarily apply to systematic fasting for detoxification purposes with an individual who is otherwise living a healthy and optimal life-style dietarily speaking.

I would definately apply the doctors point to the typical modern processed diet that is devoid of optimal, balanced and required nutrients. I would also associate the doctors assertion to the modern, idiotic practice of dieting for weight loss. Both of these modern life-style phenomen are chronic on going dietary practices that ruin the health of the body over time. .... In my opinion, this is not true of a healthy dietary life-style that may incorporate the likes of an annual or bi-anual fasting regimen for inner cleansing and rejuvination.

Fasting And Eating For Health, Joel Fuhrman, M.D., notes, p. 10: " The fast does not merely detoxify; it also breaks down superfluous tissue--fat, abnormal cells, atheromatous plaque, and tumors--and releases diseased tissues and their cellular products into the circulation for elimination . Toxic or unwanted materials circulate in our bloodstream and lymphatic tissues, and are deposited in and released from our fat stores and other tissues. An important element of fasting detoxification is mobilizing the toxins from their storage areas. This process occurs best and most efficiently during total fasting."

As early as 1972, Dr. Yuri Nikolayev, director of the fasting unit of the Moscow Psychiatric Institute, reported on the use of scientific, therapeutic fasting to successfully treat over 7000 patients , all suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and various neuroses, concluding: "The hunger treatment [as Soviet psychiatrists term fasting] gives the entire nervous system and the brain a rest. The body is also cleansed of poisons, and the tissues and the various glands are renovated. Resting of the brain forms the basis for the treatment of various neuropsychiatric disorders. Treatment through fasting is an internal operation, without a scalpel."

As Shiva noted, the purpose of fasting may not be to "feel good", but when I complete a 3 day water fast (only water intake for 3 days), I feel GREAT ... (of course that 2nd day is not so terrific, but by the end of day 3, woohoo!!!!)

My husband fasted 18 years ago for 22 days under the guidance of Dr Douglas Graham, and that fast started a life changing spiral in our foods, our philosophies, and our lives..........all for the better.  

FASTING HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME.  Growing up Catholic (ugh), we were encouraged to fast on Fridays.  Fasting is done in many religions for clarity of mind and clarity of soul.

Look at today’s foods and tell me that going 1-3 days without food isn’t not a great thing.  Your body does not turn against itself and start eating away muscle and good tissue..........as a matter of fact - given time a fast will actually eat away the bad stuff that may be plaguing the body.

The man in the bed next to my husband came to Dr Doug’s with arteriosclerosis and was ready to go under the knife.........41 days later, his problem was gone.

When he returned to his medical idiot, um excuse me, I mean doctor - the man was amazed and couldn’t understand what had happened.

FASTING GIVES THE BODY A CHANCE TO CLEANSE AND REJUVENATE.  

Paul Bragg was one AMAZING guy. Probably the health guru of the 21st century. I can't think of any more influential person in spreading the health message in the 20th century than Paul Bragg.