Fasting: A Metabolic Do-Over
The changes that occur during fasting are remarkable. Blood sugar is maintained within normal ranges. Protein and other breakdown products can be used to make glucose. And there’s one more significant finding: levels of purines and pyrimidines increased during the fast. These are some of the substrates for making proteins and nucleic acids used for making DNA.
What does that mean? Fasting isn’t just a one-way event where things are only broken down; some are being rebuilt. Prior research on cancer patients have shown that a 48–96 hour fast helps use up immune system remnants and rebuilds the immune system. In those cases, they were reduced to 500–800 calories under hospital conditions. The fast helped them do better during chemotherapy.
Before we get carried away, a couple of things. The study I reviewed had only four subjects, they were normal weight, and they were all 29–30 years old. We don’t know how this type of fast would impact an overweight 55-year-old with type 2 diabetes. There may be differences in which metabolites result, and the rebuilding process may be different. Still, it’s encouraging.
I felt fine throughout my fast, but I had a head start, albeit a forced one. I can’t say that I notice any major differences except for the eight-pound difference in the scale. But how can you say that you feel your immune system is stronger or that your DNA is being replicated with fewer errors? You can’t.
This was not the type of fasting that manipulates the schedule so people can eat within a four-hour window and “fast” the rest of the day. I know people feel better and may lose weight, but there’s no evidence of any metabolic changes as significant as these. What is being attempted is to fit the fast into our lifestyle instead of letting it go organically for a day or two, and the benefits are important even if they’re not as dramatic as those in the study. Another name for this type of fast: a cleanse. What I think it proves is that you don’t need anything other than the will to do it for you to see some benefits. You don’t even have to abstain from food. You just have to do it.
If you want some guidance on doing a fast/cleanse, get out your copy of Real-Life Detox and get going. If you don’t have one, get your copy today. It’s time for a metabolic do-over! What are you prepared to do today?
Dr. Chet
Reference: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36674-9
