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Does Monthly Fasting Help Your Heart?

fasting, skipping mealsPeople who skip meals once a month are 40 percent less likely to have clogged arteries as those who do not fast regularly, according to Utah researchers.

About 70 percent of Utah’s population are Mormons, who fast during the first Sunday of each month.

Religion, however, was not behind the benefits of fasting. Even non-Mormons who skipped food occasionally were less likely to have clogged arteries.

The study came about after researchers discovered that only 61 percent of Mormons had heart disease compared with 66 percent of non-Mormons. After surveying 515 people about Mormon’s typical religious practices, which included a weekly day of rest, not drinking alcohol or smoking, donating time and money to charity, avoiding tea and coffee, and monthly fasting, only fasting made a significant difference in heart risk.

Only 59 percent of those who skipped meals regularly were diagnosed with heart disease, compared with 67 percent of non-fasters.

The researchers suggested that periodic fasting forces your body to burn fat and also gives it a break from making insulin to metabolize sugar. Fasting may therefore help to resensitize insulin-producing cells and make them work better.
Sources:
  • American Heart Association™ Scientific Sessions November 2007 Orlando, Florida

Sources:

Dr. Mercola''s Comments Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Skipping meals or fasting for an entire day can, at times, be beneficial. It can also be highly counterproductive. How do you know which it is for you?

The key to answering these questions are found in Nutritional Typing and understanding insulin physiology.

If your diet consists of fast food, junk food and other processed items that are high in sugar and grains, then not eating those foods for a period will likely cause improvements to your health. This is because this type of diet is causing surges in your insulin and leptin levels, and even giving your body a break from this cycle temporarily will be beneficial.

This is the premise by which calorie restriction has been found to slow down aging, reduce chronic diseases and even extend your lifespan. When you restrict your calories, as you do during fasting, it reduces your metabolic rate and oxidative stress, lowers your insulin levels and improves insulin sensitivity.

On the other hand, if you are eating healthy foods designed for your nutritional type, then you will probably not experience benefits, and may even have some problems, such as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

Additionally it has been my experience that those who are carb nutritional types (who can eat a largely vegetarian diet) tend to do much better overall with fasting, while protein types (who require large amounts of protein and fat) don’t fare nearly as well.

I am a very strong protein type and don’t feel that fasting is appropriate for me because of the way it makes me feel. My insulin levels are also in a very healthy range.

There is also increasing evidence that you’re actually better off nibbling and grazing throughout the day rather than even “fasting” between meals. Eating small amounts of healthy foods frequently throughout the day has been found to lower cholesterol, reduce appetite, and cause the least amount of disturbance to your body’s natural balance.

Of course, our ancestors did fast on occasion when food was scarce, so it may be possible that our bodies are designed to benefit from an occasional bout with little or no food.

While most of us have access to food at all times, it is common that we may not have access to HIGH-QUALITY food. In this circumstance, if your option is to eat only highly processed junk food then it is probably far better for you to fast than to eat that type of garbage.

So while I don’t recommend planned fasts, you can certainly fast like our ancestors did: when there are not viable options for food available.

Again, “food” in this circumstance means real, whole, nutrient-rich foods. So if you are traveling and find yourself without a healthy food option, this is the perfect opportunity to fast. Simply skip the fast food and get back on track when you’re able to find something to eat that’s good for your body.

If you have a hard time resisting the temptation to eat junk foods (a common challenge, especially if others are eating them around you), remember that you can always use the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to release your unhealthy food cravings.


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Comment on This Article Community Comments (55)
 
 
Posted On Dec 12, 2007
Foxtroter - you forget that the body's preferred source of energy is through the metabolism of fats. It is true that the body starts to break itself down after a while on a fast (don't know the time frame), but most of the energy comes from fat. As long as the body is getting enough oxygen, the breakdown of fats provides a large energy reserve where the use of structural proteins is not necessarily needed. If you have ever gone on a lengthy water fast (>3 days) you would notice that your body has an impaired ability for anaerobic exercise, but aerobic exercise is no more strenuous than usual. The brain also begins to run on ketone bodies instead of glucose, and the change in brain chemistry is associated with the feelings of clarity that accompany the fast. The ketosis usually occurs in earnest late the second day, and that is where the mind's (brain's) desire for glucose is reflected in many ego processes. People will swear they are about to pass out or have serious problems because the brain's greedy metabolic processes (ego included) needs glucose for maintenance. Fasting is a process for rejuvenating body and spirit. I participate in a lengthy (at least five days) water fast two times a year. Try it out sometime. If properly done with sound medical advice, the fast will provide an experience that will easily change your mind.

 
rfinger
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 7/2007
rfinger  
Replied

Russ Bianchi
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 9/2006
Russ Bianchi  
 
Posted On Dec 12, 2007
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


foxtroter_203
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 9/2006
foxtroter_203  
 
Posted On Dec 12, 2007
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. 


shiva
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 10/2006
shiva  
 
Posted On Dec 12, 2007
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.


foxtroter_203
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 9/2006
foxtroter_203  
 
Posted On Dec 12, 2007

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.



foxtroter_203
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 9/2006
foxtroter_203  
 
Posted On Dec 12, 2007

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.


shiva
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 10/2006
shiva  
 
Posted On Dec 12, 2007
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.


qualitygeek
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 10/2007
qualitygeek  
 
Posted On Dec 12, 2007
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."



qualitygeek
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 10/2007
qualitygeek  
 
Posted On Dec 12, 2007
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."


qualitygeek
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 10/2007
qualitygeek  
 
Posted On Dec 12, 2007
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!!!!)


KathieJamisonCote
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 4/2007
KathieJamisonCote  
 
Posted On Dec 27, 2007

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.  


 
 
 
Posted On Dec 11, 2007
The science of fasting is one of the most powerful health practices that exists. It is sad when I see how fearful the average individual is of abstaining from food for any significant length of time. .... The first 3 days of an extended fast, can be challenging for the novice of fasting, .. but normally once one has passed the 3rd day, the fast becomes much easier and in fact quite enjoyable.

It is important for a beginner of fasting to read up on the science of fasting and learn how to conduct a proper cleansing fast. For example, it is dangerous to fast if one is taking any sort of medication, as this could cause damage to the kidneys.

Fastiing is the oldest and perhaps most effective healing modality that exists. It is available to everyone, all the time and it is completely Free. ... The body-mind has an innate ability to cleanse and renew itself. That ability is accessed most powerfully via Fasting,... and secondly most powerfully via a cleansing and rejuvinating diet.

 
shiva
Savvy User Savvy User, Joined On 10/2006
shiva  
 
 
 
Posted On Dec 27, 2007

I have even gone 3 whole days with out fasting (AND NOT taking my diabetic meds) and at the end of it I feel MUCH better.  Do you think I play 'mother may I' with my doctor about this?  yeah, right!  . . . . NOT.


 
StartingFromScratch
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 10/2007
StartingFromScratch  
 
 
 
Posted On Dec 27, 2007

I am a nutritionist and will share some of my experiences in 10 years' work with clients with you: I believe that short fasts can be beneficial but ONLY if one is strong enough to do so. This means that the person doing the fast should have been on a healthy diet and should have a strong enough life force to handle the fast appropriately. (Or in more scientific terms,have healthy mitochondria). Physiological detoxification occurs in two phases: Phase 1 turns fat soluble toxins into water soluble molecules and phase 2 joins the toxin to a molecule (an amino acid) to get it in a form that can be excreted fromthe body. A juice fast or waer fast upregulates phase 1 and down regulates phase 2. this can be a big problem because the intermediate substance created after phase 1 can be more toxic than the original toxin. This is why protein is important for detoxification (for phase 2). Dr. Jeffrey Bland, a noted nutritional biochemist, has said that the horrible feelig you get on day 2 of a fast is not the "healing crisis" some people say it is, but is rather all about crisis and nothing about healing.You want to get those intermediates out of the body as fast as you can. But detoxification is also an ongoing process.  All of you reading this are detoxifying right now. A fast accelerates the process, but one needs to be mindful of the abovementioned physiology. I have noticed that some people feel better after being on a fast but when they go back to their former way of eating (even if it is healthy) they lose that good feeling. I have found that this is often because they have food sensitivities or allergies and while on the fast they were not eating those foods. Once they identify their sensitivities and stay off of these foods they feel better on a more regular basis.


 
SarahB
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 10/2006
SarahB  
 
 
 
Posted On Dec 27, 2007

Isaiah 58 says that "by fasting, your health will spring forth speedily,"  I personally know 2 people who have cured MS and Liver/pancreatic cancer by organic juice fasting. One did Dr Richard Schulze's 'The Incurables diet' and the other did something similar called 'The Hallelujah diet'. Both prescribe 64 ounces of organic carrot, beet and wheatgrass juice everyday to give you nutrition to power your immune system but still allow your body to go into the state of fasting. 30 days cures most anything but some need up to 90 days but I am told it will cure anything.


 
kellymo45
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 6/2007
kellymo45  
Replied

xtina8o4
Novice User Novice User Joined On 12/2007
xtina8o4  
 
Posted On Dec 28, 2007

Hi Kelly,

I recently attended a workshop on improving the quality of life for adults with MS.  I went as a therapeutic assistant, offering a particular kind of clinical therapy, particularly anxiety reduction and valued living (cognitive alterations only; no drugs!)  However, I couldn't help but think of potential natural and healthy ways to rid people of such an unfortunate disease, and it seems you've given my question some hope! Do you think you could post some more information on these diets?  I'd love to spread the word.



energymaster
Novice User Novice User Joined On 6/2006
energymaster  
 
Posted On Jan 02, 2008

Xtina - Anyone suffering from MS or one of many, many other degenerative and auto-immune disorders should be tested for lyme disease ASAP. It is a difficult problem to diagnose and cure, but so many people with these diseases are finding when the lyme is gone, so is the associated disease! Lyme is spread by many other ways than tick bites. Be prepared for much misinformation from official sources before you find the truth about it.

Andy


 
 
 
 
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