Studies on the benefits of fasting

Many studies have been conducted on fasting, but they are still preliminary and need more research on the subject, and the following studies show some of the benefits of fasting:

• A study published in the journal Srpski arhiv za celokupno lekarstvo in 2007 indicated that obese people who followed a fasting diet for three weeks led to a significant decrease in the levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in the blood. In addition to improving the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels, insulin sensitivity increases.
• A study published in Obesity in 2010 indicated that reducing calorie consumption by following intermittent fasting can reduce the risk of heart disease in obese people, and this effect may be partly due to the role of fasting in improving adipose tissue, And body composition, in addition to its role in reducing calories, which leads to weight loss, which can positively affect the risk signs related to fat and metabolism.
• A study published in The American Journal of Cardiology in 2009 indicated that fasting significantly reduced the risk of diabetes, which is a major risk factor for heart disease, but more studies are needed to prove this benefit.
• A study published in The FASEB Journal in 2003 in mice indicated that the rate of decrease in blood pressure, heart rate, and insulin levels associated with intermittent fasting can be similar to the rate of decrease associated with regular exercise programs, and these factors are associated with the risk of developing diseases. Cardiovascular, stroke.
• A study in mice published in PLOS ONE in 2013 indicated that intermittent fasting can improve brain function and structure. Mice that underwent intermittent fasting showed better learning and memory results.
• Studies conducted on animals indicated that fasting may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, and improve the conditions of people with these diseases. A study conducted on mice published in the Journal of Neurobiology of Disease in 2007 indicated that diets based on calorie restriction or intermittent fasting can improve age-related cognitive deficits.
• A study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine in 2006 indicated that fasting can have a good effect on people with irritable bowel syndrome, and the results showed a significant improvement in some symptoms of this syndrome, such as abdominal pain, flatulence, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. Nausea, anxiety, and general impairment of life.

An overview of fasting

Fasting is defined in general as partial or total abstinence from all types of foods or abstaining from specific types of food, and there are several types of fasting, including fasting during the month of Ramadan, which depends on abstaining from food and drink from dawn until sunset, a period of 29 to 30 consecutive days each year, and intermittent fasting, which is the most popular health and fitness trend around the world at present, which depends on following a dietary pattern that revolves between periods of fasting and eating, and does not depend on the types of foods that should be eaten, but on the timing of eating, as Common intermittent fasting methods include fasting 16 hours a day, or fasting for 24 hours twice a week.