Health Benefits of Fasting, a list of the top 10 major ones

In today’s world, all of us are quite familiar and accustomed to the term fasting. In simple words, fasting comprises of zero intake of food or liquid for a long period of time. The timings might vary from 12-72 hours depending upon an individual. Along with the obvious benefit of weight loss, here we’re going to discuss about some of the major health benefits of fasting. So without further ado, let’s dive into this article.

1. Health benefits of fasting: Weight loss

Losing a few extra pounds from the body is surely one of the major health benefits of fasting. It not only decreases a person’s calorie intake but also enhances their metabolism. Both of these factors aid in the process of weight loss.

Research has shown that fasting increases the level of neurotransmitter norepinephrine in the body. This has been proven to increase a person’s metabolism. Hence, this leads to loss of body weight.

Results from fasting:

Fasting	Time period	Loss of body weight	Loss of body fat
24 Hour	12-24 weeks	9%	7%
Intermittent fasting	3-12 weeks	8%	16%

 

2. Health benefits of fasting: Regulates blood sugar levels

Maintaining blood sugar levels is one of the most important health benefits of fasting.

Fasting increases the body’s dependency on fats more than carbohydrates. As a result, the resistance of insulin decreases. This intensifies the body’s response towards insulin. Hence, it leads to the transportation of glucose from the bloodstream to the cells more productively. This whole process contributes towards maintaining a steady blood sugar level in the body.

3. Health benefits of fasting: Decreases Inflammation

Inflammation can cause serious damage to a person’s health. Hence, decreasing its levels is one of the vital health benefits of fasting. Chronic inflammation can lead to persistent diseases like diabetes, cancer, arthritis, heart diseases, etc. However, it has been proven that fasting diligently can lower the levels of inflammation of a person’s body.

4. Health benefits of fasting: Promotes good heart health

Heart diseases are a major cause of death. Hence, promoting a good heart health is one of the significant health benefits of fasting. A few studies have found that incorporating fasting into our daily lifestyle can lead to the heart’s betterment. It will also help us in avoiding chronic heart diseases.

This observation has been backed up by the following results:

• Alternate day fasting decreased LDL (bad cholesterol) levels by 25%.
• The same led to the reduction of triglycerides by 32%.

5. Muscle growth in the body

One might think that due to low intake of calorie, the body’s growth might come to a halt. However, it has been proven that fasting can help a person perform better exercises. This will lead them to gain lean body muscles and lose body fat. This is how muscle growth is one of the major health benefits of fasting.

6. Production of Human Growth Hormones (HGH)

Human growth hormone is a protein hormone which plays an important role in the following aspects:

• Overall growth
• Weight loss
• High metabolism
• Muscle strength

Studies have found that fasting can naturally aid in intensifying the levels of HGH in the body. Fasting also regulates the insulin and blood sugar levels which thereby enhances the levels of HGH in the body. Hence, this is considered to be one of the most salient health benefits of fasting.

7. Curtails the possibility of Cancer

Certain researches on animals have shown the affect of fasting on cancer. It has been proven that fasting for a long period of time can help in preventing the disease. It also aids in obstructing the formation of tumour.

A study has further proved that revealing cancer cells towards fasting cycles have enhanced the potency of chemotherapy on the formation of cancer.

8. Aids in reducing blood pressure

High blood pressure can lead to certain life threatening disease. Hence, regulating and preventing it is of utmost importance.

Research has proven that fasting can help in reducing the blood pressure levels of the body.

9. Might play a role in slowing down aging

Various studies have shown that fasting entails affects of increasing an individual’s life span.

A certain study on rats proved that rats that had fasted every alternate day lived 83% longer than other rats. They even showed signs of slow rate of aging.

10. Cell repair activities take place

Fasting instigates a cellular waste removal process in our body known as autophagy. The process of autophagy involves the following steps:

• Breaking down of cells
• Absorption of broken proteins that build up inside the cells

Intensified rate of formation of autophagy provides safeguard against harmful diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. Hence, this is why it is considered to be one of the major health benefits of fasting.

In this article, we have successfully discussed the top 10 major health benefits of fasting. All the points have been backed up by scientific research and experiments which thereby proves the efficiency of fasting. However, it is advised that an individual should always consult their doctor before incorporating fasting in their lifestyle.