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In an article on fasting, the author wrote:
ReplyDeleteThe state of Utah consistently has some of the lowest rates of heart disease in the U.S., and until now many believed it was because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints — the official name of the Mormon Church — teaches its disciples not to smoke.
"The common wisdom has been that nonsmoking has protected Utahans from cardiac disease, but as smoking rates dropped across the country, Utah's heart disease rate was still the lowest," he says. Horne's preliminary research suggested it could be the fasting that promotes the health benefits, and the new study substantiates that work.
In another article on fasting, the author wrote:
ReplyDeleteDr. Benjamin Horne, director of the study, said fasting once a month for two meals or more reduces the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States in both men and women.
“Those who fasted had a 40 to 45 percent lower risk of coronary disease than people who did not fast,” Horne said. “At this point, we are following up on that in terms of finding the biological mechanism for this.”
In addition to clearing arteries and preventing heart disease, other organizations have found fasting has other health benefits such as reducing the risk of diabetes, reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and even extending life.
Another article said:
ReplyDeleteIn the first recent study on fasting and heart disease, the researchers surveyed people in Salt Lake City, where a majority of citizens are Mormons and fast once a month for 24 hours. They discovered that the people who answered “yes” when questioned whether they abstain from food and drink for an extended time had a lower rate of coronary disease and diabetes.
In the second study, scientists monitored 230 people who fasted for 24 hours. Physical measurements and blood tests indicate that fasting decreased the subjects’ triglycerides and blood sugar levels. In addition, they found that human growth hormone, which is associated with metabolic balance, increased by upwards of 2,000%. Both bad cholesterol (LDL-C) and good cholesterol (HDL-C) increased as well. Because the study was short-term, the researchers can’t say for sure how long the benefits of fasting last.
And still another article said:
ReplyDeleteUnlike the earlier research by the team, this new research recorded reactions in the body's biological mechanisms during the fasting period. The participants' low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, the "bad" cholesterol) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, the "good" cholesterol) both increased (by 14 percent and 6 percent, respectively) raising their total cholesterol – and catching the researchers by surprise.
"Fasting causes hunger or stress. In response, the body releases more cholesterol, allowing it to utilize fat as a source of fuel, instead of glucose. This decreases the number of fat cells in the body," says Dr. Horne. "This is important because the fewer fat cells a body has, the less likely it will experience insulin resistance, or diabetes."
This recent study also confirmed earlier findings about the effects of fasting on human growth hormone (HGH), a metabolic protein. HGH works to protect lean muscle and metabolic balance, a response triggered and accelerated by fasting. During the 24-hour fasting periods, HGH increased an average of 1,300 percent in women, and nearly 2,000 percent in men.
I may be getting carried away, but each article seems to bring up a new fact not in the others. Here's a quote from another article about Dr. Horne's research:
ReplyDeleteFasting for one day each month may reduce the risk of clogged arteries by 40 percent, according to a new study conducted by researchers from Intermountain Medical Center and the University of Utah and presented at a conference of the American Heart Association.
I just discovered your blogs and I am eating them up (just kidding). Seriously, I have fasted many times and felt I had more energy and clearer thinking whenever I did it. I have done a 4-day water fast (very hard... no energy) and a month-long juice and broth fast (MUCH easier... and felt energetic... even worked out hard while fasting). People say you gain it all back but that is patently untrue. I kept the weight off for a whole year, until I got pregant (I did this twice) and had no problem at all maintaining my new lower weight (probably also because I was so much thinner and looked great that I was motivated to not overeat.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying the fast every other day diet, its hard, but I've seen increased energy, more stuff gettin done.
ReplyDeletePatrick_Trepanier@yahoo.com (13092 w. watertower Hayward wi 54843
Wow. That's hardcore. I've been subscribed to the Eat Stop Eat email newsletter for a long time but have yet to try it.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome sharing your experiences. I find that during a fast, I am encouraged when I read about other people's experiences. It increases my will power to stick it through to the end. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSome research shows that fasting before chemotherapy makes the chemo more effective in two ways: Fewer of your own healthy cells die from the chemo and more of the cancer cells die:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fasting-might-boost-chemo/
A new study shows that fasting causes many of your white blood cells to die, especially damaged cells. Then after the fast is over, the body uses stem cells to generate new white blood cells.
ReplyDeleteRead the article here: Starting Fresh: Rebooting Your Immune System
By far, the best book on Fasting research is this one:
ReplyDeleteFasting: An Exceptional Human Experience