Fasting Benefits For Health, Weight Loss, Longevity

Fasting benefits and the health benefits of fasting have become well known. Studies have shown that fasting can boost heart-health, gut-health, brain-health, and longevity. It’s a go-to for weight loss, disease mitigation, and mental health. And for some folks, including researchers, a way of life.

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If you’ve ever wondered if fasting is good for you, you’re not alone. I found myself wondering the same thing many decades ago when I first took it up.

Fasting is healthy because it gives your body a break from digestion. Studies have shown it reduces high blood pressure, inflammation, and oxidative stress. It also boosts immunity, insulin sensitivity, and the microbiome. And caloric restriction can extend lifespan by over 30%. 

In 2016 when Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for illuminating autophagy — how cells revive — the benefits of fasting and intermittent fasting became well known.

Here’s what Nature has to say about autophagy:

“Autophagy is a lysosomal disintegration process, which is protective housekeeping machinery to get rid of damaged cell organelles, longstanding misfolded proteins and colonizing pathogens. . . [It] shields cells against stress through an activity that catabolizes intracellular elements to preserve energy homeostasis [and] plays a significant role in development and disease. Particularly, enhancement of autophagy has been suggested to be useful for treating a variety of conditions, including metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, cancers and infectious diseases.”

One of the leading benefits of fasting is that it can trigger autophagy.

One report notes that prolonged fasting “can set off a unique set of metabolic events, such as deeper ketosis as glycogen stores are depleted, which may promote cellular and systemic clean-up through programs such as apoptosis and autophagy,” the former of which can clear pre-cancerous, virus-infected, and damaged cells.     

In this case, prolonged or periodic fasting refers to food deprivation between 48 and 96 hours, though smaller fasts, including caloric restriction, are beneficial. 

What Is Fasting?

A lot of people have never heard of ‘fasting.’ Seems surprising, but it’s true. It’s a term that refers to the complete withdrawal from food.  

A fast can extend through many hours into days or weeks, and for a variety of purposes.

Here’s a clip of historical touchstones:    

“Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, believed fasting enabled the body to heal itself. Paracelsus, another great healer in the Western tradition, wrote 500 years ago that fasting is the greatest remedy, the physician within.

Ayurvedic medicine, has long advocated fasting as a major treatment. In ancient Greece, Pythagoras was among many who extolled its virtues. During the 14th century, fasting was practiced by St Catherine of Siena, while the Renaissance doctor Paracelsus called it the physician within.

In primitive cultures, a fast was often demanded before going to war, or as part of a coming-of-age ritual. It was used to assuage an angry deity and by native North Americans, as a rite to avoid catastrophes such as famine.

Fasting has played a key role in all the world’s major religions (apart from Zoroastrianism which prohibits it), being associated with penitence and other forms of self-control. Judaism has several annual fast days including Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonements; in Islam, Muslims fast during the holy month of Ramadan, while Roman Catholics and Eastern orthodoxy observe a 40 day fast during Lent, the period when Christ fasted 40 days in the desert.”

Nowadays fasting is a widely popular health and wellness routine, but a lot of people still wonder . . . 

Is Fasting Good for You?

Fasting has been shown by countless studies to benefit health. It clears the body of toxins and rejuvenates cells, reducing high blood pressure, inflammation, and oxidative stress. It also boosts immunity, metabolism, and brain function.  

Health Benefits of Fasting

One of the most important benefits of fasting is that it gives your body a break from digestion. Overeating is harmful to health and can lead to disease, while fasting has the opposite effect, in some cases producing a cellular fountain of youth.

Another benefit of fasting is ‘ketosis,’ a popular feature of the ketogenic diet. So in case you’re wondering . . . 

Ketosis occurs when molecules called ketones are produced in the liver when your body’s short on glucose (sugar). It functions as a metabolic fuel that burns fat for energy. 

According to one report, “A growing body of evidence suggests that in the absence of ready supplies of glucose and fats from meals, fasting flips a metabolic “switch,” liberating fat stores via fatty acid oxidation and ketone production while prioritizing the safeguarding of lean muscle mass and function.”

When ketosis is triggered by fasting it can optimize biochemical processes, reduce degeneration, and burn fat. And then there’s hormesis, another adaptive response. 

Hormesis is a widely-researched compensatory function that protects and repairs damaged cells. It’s triggered by changes in the body’s homeostatic balance: “Hormesis triggers a vast array of protective mechanisms that not only repair cell damage but also provide protection from subsequent exposure to more devastating stressors,” says Dr. Rhonda Patrick.      

According to Dr. Mark Mattson:

“Many things happen during intermittent fasting that can protect organs against chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, age-related neurodegenerative disorders, even inflammatory bowel disease and many cancers.”

Which brings us to another question people ask . . .  

Traditionally most fasts are only water, but it’s possible to obtain benefits from extended juice cleansing, coffee and tea fasts, and infused liquids.

However it won’t produce the same results as water fasting due to all the nutrients onboard. They require digestion that water alone does not.    

Raw organic juices, lemon water, and broths are a great way to work into a fast — or a strategy of caloric restriction overall. 

Fasting & Intermittent Fasting Benefits

Here are some common questions people ask about fasting:   

Fasting has been shown by numerous peer-reviewed studies to reduce high blood pressure. It balances the endocrine system and enhances parasympathetic activity while reducing inflammation and boosting arterial health.  

According to one report, it’s the single most effective way to curb hypertension:       

“The single most effective way to lower hypertension is the practice of fasting. A two-week period of medically supervised, water-only fasting resulted in blood pressure readings below 120/80 mm Hg in 82% of subjects with borderline hypertension (Goldhamer et al., 2002).”

Other studies also support the benefits of fasting for high BP:  

“In humans, intermittent fasting can reduce blood pressure, oxidative stress, and the risk of atherosclerosis (5, 10–12). One month of alternate-day fasting effectively lowers blood pressure and heart rate in healthy nonobese humans, suggesting that chronic fasting may enhance parasympathetic activity.” 

According to the American Heart Association:  

“Long‐term fasting tends to decrease BP in subjects with elevated BP values. This effect persisted during the 4 days of stepwise food reintroduction, even when subjects stopped their antihypertensive medication.”

Fasting can be good for diabetes because it reduces insulin resistance and can help you lose weight. It also curbs fat-intake, a major contributor to diabetes.    

According to this report: 

“Type 2 diabetes can now be understood as a state of excess fat in the liver and pancreas, and remains reversible for at least 10 years in most individuals. . . . With the loss of 15 percent of body weight, nearly 90 percent of those who’ve had type 2 diabetes for less than four years can achieve remission, whereas it may only be reversible in 50 percent of those who’ve lived with the disease for longer than eight years.” 

When people fast and stop eating fatty foods, their blood glucose drops. When they eat a plant-based diet combined with fasting and exercise, it’s a win.     

But with one caveat:  

“An extended bout of physician-supervised, water-only fasting could get you there, but you have to maintain that weight loss. One of the things we can say with certainty is that if you regain the weight, you regain your diabetes.”

Studies have shown that fasting reduces inflammation and helps improve inflammatory diseases. It curbs the release of pro-inflammatory cells called ‘monocytes.’ Subjects who are well fed have higher levels of circulating monocytes than fasted subjects.  

According to this report: 

“In a study published in Cell, Mount Sinai researchers found that fasting reduces inflammation and improves chronic inflammatory diseases without affecting the immune system’s response to acute infections.”

In addition:

“Fasting and caloric restriction have a potential means of anti-inflammatory, as they can decrease the level of systemic inflammation.” 

Fasting has been shown by numerous studies to improve cholesterol. It causes a metabolic shift that triggers ketosis. Participants in one study experienced a decrease in LDL and increase in HDL cholesterol after fasting (i.e., less bad cholesterol, more good). It also curbs triglycerides and boosts insulin sensitivity.   

According to this report:

“Studies have shown that alternate-day fasting over 8 to 12 weeks causes decreases in LDL cholesterol concentrations (20-25%) and triacylglycerol concentrations (15-30%), and increases in LDL particle size are often observed [7]. Similarly, alternate-day fasting trials of a 3- to 12-week duration appear to be effective at reducing total cholesterol (10%–21%) and triglycerides (14%–42%) in normal-weight, overweight, and obese humans.” 

Fasting is incredibly good for your heart. Studies have shown it boosts a protein called galectin-3 that reduces inflammation. It helps prevent cardiovascular disease by mitigating obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It also reduces oxidative stress and boosts arterial function.    

Is Fasting Good For Your Liver?

Studies have shown that fasting reduces liver weight, enhances liver metabolism, and boosts liver enzymes. According to Dr. Mark Larance, “We know that fasting can be an effective intervention to treat disease and improve liver health.”

Can Fasting Treat Serious Disease?

Studies have suggested that water fasting, and particularly in combination with a sugar-free, oil-free, plant-based diet, can potentially slow and even reverse cancers like stage three lymphoma. Fasting boosts the immune system and in many cases increases the activity of Natural Killer cells and apoptosis (cancer cell death). To date there are a number of reversals and remissions on record discussed by Dr. Michael Greger and other scientists.

However it’s important to consult with your physician regarding health and wellness.

Here’s a list of fasting benefits . . . 

Fasting Benefits 

• Reduces inflammation.
• Fights oxidative stress.
• Increases life-span and anti-aging.
• Reduces blood glucose.
• Improves insulin resistance. 
• Supports weight loss. 
• Increases cognition and brain-health. 
• Improves athletic performance (for some).
• Boosts energy and metabolism.
• Ramps microbiome and gut-health.
• Reduces risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Helps mitigate autoimmune disease.
• Lowers high blood pressure.
• Improves cholesterol, reducing high LDL/triglycerides.
• Notable positive impacts on mood disorders.
• Positive impacts on mental health overall.
• Relieves joint pain and degenerative disease.  
• Improves respiratory health and lung capacity.
• Produces new stem cells (longer fasts). 
• Improves hair, skin, and nails.   
• Advances spiritual and psychological health.
• Revitalizes the nervous system. 
• Boosts heart and bone-health.
• Prevents and sometimes reverses cancers.  
• Elevates human growth hormone.
• Positively impacts gene expression.
• Prompts rejuvenation and cellular reset.    
• Reduces food cravings and obesity.  
• Boosts immune response.

Fasting for Weight Loss

So it almost seems like a no-brainer that you’d lose weight during fasting or intermittent fasting, right? I mean with such a reduction in calories, how could you not?

Well fasting, in my experience, is one of the quickest and most effective ways to jumpstart a weight loss plan. I’ve done it many times across the years and watched others do it too. 

I personally suggest you taper into and out of fasts gradually, working your way from raw organic veggies and soups on down to clear broths and juices before full withdrawal from food. And work out in a similar fashion.

If you have medical conditions and/or take prescription drugs you should consult your physician before fasting. It’s a simple enough routine but can be dangerous for some people and cause lean muscle loss if done incorrectly.

And when it comes to juice fasting, there’s this: 

“Drinking water by itself can greatly accelerate the release of toxins from the body, [and] water fasting alone can cause unnecessary stress on the organs of elimination. Juice fasting can be just as effective as water and simultaneously nourishes and strengthens the body rather than depleting and weakening it.”

So traditionally, even though an ‘authentic’ fast is considered to be nothing but water, you can still obtain benefits from a juice cleanse. 

You might also be wondering .. . 

Studies have shown that short fasts and intermittent fasting can boost metabolism by over 13%. It increases fat-burning hormones like norepinephrine and resting energy expenditure. 

Fasting also boosts the biome, which can help you lose weight. 

Says Nature:

“Dramatic caloric restriction not only affects host health and physiology, but also has an impact on the microbiome. Fasting alters the gut microbiome, impacting bacterial taxa and gene modules associated with short-chain fatty acid production. Cross-system analyses reveal a positive correlation of circulating mucosa-associated invariant T cells, non-classical monocytes and CD4+ effector T cells with systolic blood pressure. Furthermore, regulatory T cells positively correlate with body-mass index and weight.”

And again, simply cutting calories helps: 

“A new scientific study has backed up some health claims about eating less. The clinical trial reveals that cutting back on food for just 5 days a month could help prevent or treat age-related illnesses like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

Author Steve Meyerwitz says this: 

“Fasting gives your body a chance to re-balance its own chemistry, eliminating all the drugs and supplements that force it on detours and into different directions. Fasting is the great eraser, reducing all outside influences and creating a fresh start. Fasts of three to fifty days have achieved many miracles. Juice fasting with wheatgrass and raw vegetable juices introduces oxygen and nutrients into the bloodstream while enhancing elimination.” 

Another important note regarding fasting is if you have medical conditions and/or take prescription drugs. If either applies, it’s important to discuss fasting with your physician.

There are tons of doctors these days who conduct supervised fasts, but generally for healthy adults — very young children are different — a three-day fast shouldn’t hurt.

Even a five-day fast or longer is typically safe. Plenty of people have done it and continue to reap the rewards, myself included. 

Due to children’s developmental and nutritional needs, they typically don’t need to fast unless they’re unhealthily overweight. And even then a change to an organic plant-based diet with lots of raw veggies and fruits should do the trick without skipping meals, and especially with exercise and low/no sugar. 

Overweight children sometimes get that way due to diets high in processed foods, sugary drinks, and unhealthy snacks. More often than not their weights will naturally adjust with a cleaner, healthier diet and monitored eating.

So how about the healing crisis your body goes through when fasting? 

A common mistake that I too often see is when people call it quits cause they feel bad, which can turn a good thing on its head. There’s nothing in life that’s immune to transition, and particularly when it comes to fasting. 

In fact changing your cells from unhealthy to clean will not only, for a time, make you feel bad, it’s enough to make most people quit. And the majority of folks usually do. 

They wrongly assume, and it happens all the time, that fasting is harming their health. Fasting disagrees with their body. Fasting is making them sick.

But what’s making them sick are the masses of toxins and wastes they’ve built up in their cells, and when they start cleaning house all the gunk piles out and wreaks havoc in the gut passing through.

In short, it’s called detoxification. Or junk elimination, if you will. And the process is not only difficult at times, it can literally make you feel like you’re dying. Then suddenly, you’re all brand new.  

John Hopkins explains it like this:

“Mattson’s research shows that it can take two to four weeks before the body becomes accustomed to intermittent fasting. You might feel hungry or cranky while you’re getting used to the new routine. But, he observes, research subjects who make it through the adjustment period tend to stick with the plan because they notice they feel better.”

The key is ‘adjustment period,’ right?

According to Dr. James Thompson,

“The healing crisis is an acute reaction of the body brought about by an improvement of the vital forces, enabling them to eliminate from the system the diseased conditions and accumulations.” 

Expect headaches and fatigue and a variety of pains that are a customary process of healing — remain calm, be committed, push through, because inevitably you’ll reach higher ground.

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The medical and health topics covered on the Plate of Grass website and blog have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to prevent or cure any disease. This article and its content is presented ‘as is’ for informational purposes only.