7 health benefits of fasting

You won't believe number 7!

While some people eagerly await the month of Ramazan, others are rather hesitant to fast in the scorching heat due to fear of dehydration, lethargy and a drastic change in routine.

On the same note, while the Holy month is unique due to the spiritual virtues attached to it, there’s no gainsaying everyone certainly needs something to pull them through the long fasting hours, especially with temperatures tilting towards 40°C.

Compiled from Dr Axe, here is a list of seven health benefits of fasting to keep you going healthy and strong.


1. An excellent tool for weight loss

There have been studies that support fasting as an excellent tool for weight loss. In one study, non-obese patients lost an average of 4% of total fat when they fasted alternately for a 22 day period. It must also be noted that their fasting insulin levels also decreased. In another study conducted on obese individuals, fasting, meaning consuming only 25% of their daily calorie needs yielded an average 5.5 pound weight loss in an eight week period. Three-percent of body fat was also lost, along with a decrease in total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

2. It promotes the secretion of Human Growth Hormone

This is important for burning fat. Fasting can also promote muscle building, while decreasing insulin levels. When you combine all of these, fasting can in fact, transform the human body into an effective fat burning machine.

3. It may be good for athletes

Fasting has been found to have good effects on body mass as well as other health markers in professional athletes. This is because, as previously mentioned, fasting can effectively shed excess fat, while optimize muscle growth, because of the production of HGH. Athletes are advised to consume high quality protein half an hour after finishing their workouts to simultaneously build muscle and reduce fat. Fasting is advised for training days, while athletes are encouraged to eat on game days.



4. It normalises insulin sensitivity

When your body gets too much carbs and sugar, it can become insulin resistant, which will then lead the way to a host of chronic diseases. If you don’t want to go down this route, then you’ve got to keep your body sensitive to insulin. Fasting is an effective way to do this. When insulin sensitivity is up, you can better prevent diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart complications.

5. It can normalise ghrelin levels

What is ghrelin? It is actually also known as the hunger hormone, because it is responsible for telling your body that it is hungry. When you fast, the ghrelin levels in your body normalises, so it actually becomes more accurate in telling you if you should really eat, or leave off having a snack until later.

6. It lowers triglyceride levels

When you consume too much cholesterol, your triglyceride levels may shoot up, making you more prone to heart disease. Fasting has been known to decrease levels of bad cholesterol in the body, which means that it also decreases the formation of triglycerides. Another interesting thing to note is that fasting does nothing to the levels of good cholesterol of HDL in the body.



7. It can slow down the ageing process

As previously mentioned, fasting can cause the body to produce more Human Growth Hormone. This hormone is actually closely connected to the aging process. When the body produces less HGH, it tends to age faster too. So in effect, it is safe to conclude that fasting can help the body age more slowly.

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