Contents
- What is intermittent fasting?
- Medical benefits of intermittent fasting
- Weight loss
- Lowering cholesterol in the blood
- Promote brain health
- Boost immune system health
- Protection from chemotherapy
- Warnings about medical fasting
- water fasting
- Protection from chemotherapy
- Warnings about medical fasting
- water fasting
What is intermittent fasting?
Many people wonder what medical or intermittent fasting is a pattern or system of food only that is based on alternating between eating periods and fasting periods, that is, it does not specify the foods that should be eaten but when it should be eaten, then it is not a diet in the traditional sense of the word, but it is a pattern For eating, common intermittent fasting methods include fasting for 16 hours a day or fasting for 24 hours, twice a week. The day or the week to periods of eating and periods of fasting, and the following will be mentioned the most common ways:
The 16/8 method: Also called the Leangains protocol, this method involves skipping breakfast and reducing daily eating periods to 8 hours, from 1 to 9 p.m., then fasting for 16 hours in between.
Eat-Stop-Eat: This method is based on fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week, for example, not eating dinner on one day and fasting until dinner the next day.
5:2 Diet: This method depends on consuming only 500 to 600 calories on non-consecutive days of the week, but you can eat normally the other five days, and thus the question of what medical fasting is and what are its methods has been answered.
Medical benefits of intermittent fasting
After knowing the answer to the question of what medical fasting is, it is necessary to know its health benefits for the body, as many doctors recommend intermittent or medical fasting due to the following benefits:
Weight loss
Since the body is unable to obtain energy from food during fasting, it resorts to glucose stored in the liver and muscles, and this begins approximately 8 hours after eating the last meal, and when the stored glucose is used, the body then begins to burn fat as an energy source, which It may lead to weight loss.
Lowering cholesterol in the blood
Besides aiding weight loss, Dr. Razin Mahrov, from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, explains that using fat to burn energy can help maintain muscle mass and lower cholesterol levels, and detoxification occurs as well, because any toxins are dissolved. Stored in fat and removed from the body.
Promote brain health
Dr. Mahrov also points out that after a few days of medical fasting, higher levels of endorphins – the happiness hormone – are produced in the blood, which can have a positive effect on mental health and the health of brain cells.
Boost immune system health
Medical or intermittent fasting may also be effective in regenerating immune cells. When a person is hungry, the body tries to save energy, and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of unnecessary immune cells, especially damaged ones, explains Dr. Longo in For his study, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, the team that conducted the study found that intermittent fasting for two to four days over the course of six months destroyed old and damaged immune cells in mice and created new ones.
Protection from chemotherapy
Dr. Longo’s team also found that cancer patients who fasted for 3 days prior to chemotherapy were immune to the immune system damage that this treatment can cause, due to the regeneration of immune cells and the elimination of damaged cells.
Warnings about medical fasting
There are several warnings about fasting, after answering the question what is medical fasting, the warnings that some people should pay attention to, such as those who take specific medications, must continue to take the medication as usual, unless the doctor instructs otherwise, and some medications must be stopped, Therefore, it is necessary to make sure to tell the doctor everything that the person takes, and there are several measures that must be taken if the person has diabetes, such as the following:
Check your blood sugar regularly, for example every two hours.
A person may need to reduce their insulin dose or not take oral hypoglycemics.
Check for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
If it becomes clear to the person that he suffers from hypoglycemia, he must break the fast, avoid driving and contact the doctor.
water fasting
Water fasting is a type of medical fasting, where nothing can be eaten beside water, and this type of fasting lasts between 24 and 72 hours, as water fasting should not be followed for a longer period than that without medical supervision, and here are some reasons why Some people try water fasting:
Religious or spiritual reasons.
To help lose weight.
To remove toxins from the body.
For its health benefits, which include a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
For the purpose of preparing for a medical procedure.
Protection from chemotherapy
Dr. Longo’s team also found that cancer patients who fasted for 3 days prior to chemotherapy were immune to the immune system damage that this treatment could cause, as the immune cells were regenerated and damaged cells were shed.
Warnings about medical fasting
There are several warnings about fasting, after answering the question what is medical fasting, the warnings that some people should pay attention to, such as those who take specific medications, must continue to take the medication as usual, unless the doctor instructs otherwise, and some medications must be stopped, Therefore, it is necessary to make sure to tell the doctor everything that the person takes, and there are several procedures that must be taken if the person has diabetes, such as the following:
Check your blood sugar regularly, for example every two hours.
A person may need to reduce their insulin dose or not take oral hypoglycemics.
Check for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
If it becomes clear to the person that he suffers from hypoglycemia, he must break the fast, avoid driving and contact the doctor.
water fasting
Water fasting is a type of medical fasting, where nothing can be eaten beside water, and this type of fasting lasts between 24 and 72 hours, as water fasting should not be followed for a longer period than that without medical supervision, and here are some reasons why Some people try water fasting
Religious or spiritual reasons.
To help lose weight.
To remove toxins from the body.
For its health benefits, which include a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
For the purpose of preparing for a medical procedure.