When you don’t consume food or calories, the body looks for other ways to generate energy, such as drawing on glucose, ie. sugar stores.
The recent increase in scientific research around fasting has allowed us to understand just how fasting positively affects our physiology, cells, aging, disease and overall health.
Here's the lo-down on fasting.
Types of fasting:
- Intermittent Fasting
- Autophagy Fasting
- Dinner-to-Dinner
- Dry Fasting
- 36-48 Water Fasting
- 3-5 Day Water Fasting
- Fast Mimicking
Benefits of fasting:
- Weight loss: Fasting can help in reducing calorie intake and promoting weight loss. When you fast, your body switches to burning stored fat for energy.
- Improved insulin sensitivity: Fasting can help in regulating blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity, which can be beneficial for people with diabetes or metabolic disorders.
- Reduced inflammation: Fasting can help in reducing inflammation, which is linked to many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, arthritis, and cancer.
- Boost in cognitive function: Some studies suggest that fasting can help in improving cognitive function, including focus, concentration, and memory.
- Increased lifespan: Animal studies have shown that fasting can extend lifespan and improve overall health.
- Spiritual and psychological benefits: Fasting is a common practice in many religious and spiritual traditions and can be a way to improve self-discipline, mindfulness, and introspection.
Benefits broken down by hours fasted:
13-15 Hour fast
Is considered intermittent fasting and a great starting point. At 13 hours of fasting, your body will secrete growth hormone. The growth hormone assists in burning fat and slowing down the aging process. If you are looking for an anti-aging solution I recommend this level of fasting.
15 hours
Is when most people begin to create ketones. Ketones are a sign that your liver has moved burning sugar to burn fat for energy. Furthermore, ketones are neuroprotective and will go up to the brain, giving you energy and better mental clarity.
17 hour fast
You will start to stimulate autophagy. What this means is the intelligence of your cells has been turned on and they are able to repair themselves. This is best for people with autoimmune conditions.
17-24 hour fast
Offers the following benefits: cellular repair, detox, cancer prevention, gut repair, aids with anxiety and depression, and brain and memory loss.
24 hour fast
At 24 hours, your intestinal cells reboot and GABA production occurs. GABA is the neurotransmitter known to relax our brain and help with anxiety. Our gut health is incredibly important in preventing autoimmune disorders and aiding in weight loss.
36 hour fast
The more you fast, the more it forces your body to burn glucose, insulin, and toxins that are stored in fat. It is better to have fat around your muscles than around your organs and this length of fast will force your body to burn stored glucose and insulin. 36-48 hour fasts is where to start to see fat loss, anti-aging, and an increase in dopamine.
48 hour fast
At 48 hours you begin to reset dopamine receptor sites. If you are feeling like your happiness level is not where it needs to be this is where you need to be.
72 hour fast
This is a 3 day fast when you feel like you just do not know what to do anymore. This fast can be used for people with severe injuries and diagnoses that want to reboot their whole immune system where healing starts. At 72 hours your stem cells for the immune system are regenerating as well as stem cell production for musculoskeletal injuries.
DISCLAIMER: Fasting may not be suitable for everyone. People who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have certain medical conditions should consult a healthcare professional before starting any fasting regimen.
Source: drmindypelz.com/a-beginners-guide-to-fasting/