Retune the Body with a Partial Fast
April 2, 2008
photo by thisguyukno
This is a great article on NPR about the benefits of short term fasting. Remember, we are never talking about extended fasting to the point of muscle loss, nutrient deficiency, lowered performance and starvation. This is not the same thing as a smart planned IF protocol. I know people when they first hear the word “fast” will say, “So you are starving yourself?” or “That is bulimia!” or some other statement. In a sense they can be right, if the fasting protocols are not done correctly. You will always see when we talk about IF we stress getting quality foods with plenty of nutrients, plenty of protein, and still plenty of calories….it’s just not the 3000-4000+ /day that people generally eat….the same population that suffers from rapid increases in heart diseases, cancers, obesity and other illnesses.
Here’s some snippets from the article with my commentary, you can read and listen to the whole thing here.
For thousands of years, beginning with philosophers like Hippocrates, Socrates and Plato, fasting was recommended for health reasons. The Bible writes that Moses and Jesus fasted for 40 days for spiritual renewal.
Yep fasting has been around for thousands and thousands of years. Whether people knew it or not, it is nature’s built in response for healing. It is also used in spiritual ways to get a “clear” mind, which many people can report increased mental clarity with just short fasts.
Newborns can’t sleep through the night because they need to eat every few hours. They don’t produce enough glycogen, the body’s form of stored sugar, to make energy.
So the argument of “well babies need to eat all day long….so do adults” is not valid at all (and yes I have heard this from people). Makes sense as adults have larger stores of fat, muscle and eat more calories per day compared to babies.
“You re-tune the body, suppress insulin secretion, reduce the taste for sugar, so sugar becomes something you’re less fond of taking,” Neufeld says.
Eventually the body burns up stored sugars, or glycogen, so less insulin is needed to help the body digest food. That gives the pancreas a rest.
High blood insulin levels and insulin resistance are at the heart of 99.9% of all our problems when it comes to long term diseases and ageing. So having periods in which there is no digestion and being able to lower resistance and insulin levels is a great benefit. Could it also mean that all these sugar cravings are just a by product of elevated fasting insulin levels? So if you use fasting and a sensible eating plan to lower insulin resistance and levels, could all those cravings for sugar go away?
Mark Mattson, a scientist with the National Institute on Aging, says that when we convert food into energy, our bodies create a lot of byproducts we could do without, including free radicals.
“These free radicals will attack proteins, DNA, the nucleus of cells, the membranes of cells,” Mattson says. “They can damage all those different molecules in cells.”
Digestion is like anything that creates energy…there has to be waste products as well, similar to a cars that produces more carbon dioxide with the more gas it burns. Our body has a way to deal with free radicals with built in antioxidants production, but we can only do so much. Free radicals are now being introduced into our environment from many sources like the air we breath. Our cells are the route of health and balance, as that is what we are made up of….trillions of cells. So once cell health is compromised….you get sickness, disease and ageing. Eating foods high in quality antioxidants is necessary (fruits, vegetables) but also we need to reduce the load of free radicals in our lifestyle (less foods/calories to digest, get rid of unstable fats in Polyunsaturated and Trans Fats, do not excessively overdo high aerobic “with oxygen” exercise as the more calories you burn the more waste products you create with oxidative damage).
Partial fasting may even extend lifespan because eating less sends a message to the cells of the body that they should conserve and use energy more efficiently.
“When they’re exposed to a mild stress, [the body's cells] sort of expect that maybe this is going to happen again,” Mattson says. “So maybe next time I may have to go longer without food, so I’d better be able to deal with that when it comes on.”
This is the key benefit of IF when compared to any diet or CR plan. Only fasting signals a “stress response” that will strengthen the cellular protection as seen in the heart, lungs, and neuroendorcrine responses. By giving our body small doses (not excessive) periods of stress, we tell it to become stronger. A stronger cell is going to be more resistant to the attack of free radicals or cancerous destructions. You do not get the same responses when you do an all day eating plan no matter what the calories are, it’s not the same stress mechanisms. Could this really be the key to having a strong body resistant to an ever increasing toxic environment and living a long and functional life while many other suffer from degenerative diseases of the heart, brain and other vital organs?
The problem, Neufeld says, is that when muscle breaks down, potentially toxic proteins are released. These proteins are partly composed of nitrogen, and too much nitrogen in the body can be toxic to the kidneys and liver. That’s when starvation is officially under way.
Yes, that is a problem. Hence you will never see us talking about muscle loss as any kind of goal and why IF in the wrong hands can be dangerous. So keep in mind, that more is not always better when it comes to IF, SMARTER is better. Use it wisely and you can be improving your life and extending it….use it improperly and you could be doing something that damages your health.
Jacko - There are plenty of other more detailed posts and research studies to back up the health benefits of fasting…feel free to browse the resources section and then get back to me. The fact that you are already calling it rubbish and put it into a catagory that is already associated with a negative outlook in your eyes, makes me doubt whether you will view it with an open mind and come back with something a little more constructive to challenge what is said. You look at it as I have to prove your way of thinking wrong…when I am really providing information for you to make up your own mind about. Real change comes from within. It’s your choice whether or not to use whatever you find here to improve your health….I hope something does help you along the way.
Hi I’ve been reading through a ton of your posts lately and this is my first comment, I’d like to start by saying THANK YOU for all of this content, the blog posts and your comments are amazing.
This article talks a lot about “antioxidants” I was wondering if you take any supplements in this arena. I’ve been following the paleo diet for a few months now (getting better and better) and eating my fruits and vegetables. I have a friend who swears by that “Monavie” juice but it’s too expensive looking for me. I did some googling around and found some “acai” supplements but everything still looks a little shady to me. Do you get enough anti-oxidants from your regular fruits or should I look into one of these liquid supplements that has “acai” and other high anti-oxidant fruits?
I think it’s going to be tough to tell whether or not these supplements are “working” because I feel fine now and as with anything preventative I don’t know if I’m going to “feel” any different. I’m 23 and hoping to get a leg up on my health by starting early with this stuff.
By the way, I have a very limited understanding of antioxidants in general. My understanding is that antioxidants “soak up” free radicals floating around in your body and those free radicals can cause cancer? Sorry it that definition offends you, haha, I know it needs help…
Robert - I tend to run in the other direction anytime I hear anything sold through MLM ways…Monavie, Noni, and all those berry based juices. Personally I think it is a placebo affect associated with taking it, but hey if it works for someone and they want to spend $100 a month on it, more power to them. Personally I wouldn’t touch the stuff. The only things I take are standard 1000mg Vit C tabs here and there….mainly around times I know that stress will be highest such as longer based aerobic style workouts (for me playing ice hockey or mountain biking).
Keeping it simple, yes antioxidants are what help neutralize free radicals which are destructive by nature. You not only get them through your fruits and vegetables but your body also has the ability to make them internally (that whole survival response mechanism of the body). There are dangers to taking too many anti-oxidants (in supplement form) as they can also downgrade the body’s ability to make it’s own. Supplements are also not perfect as there are many factors into how it is absorbed and used, many times you are not really getting what you think out of it. The amount of antioxidants you really need will also depend on the amount of oxidative damage/free radicals going in the body. Lots of factors I know….here’s what I would say:
- Get your anti-oxidants through a wide variety of fruits and vegetables (a better overall delivery system and utilization percentage). Good sources include all types of cherries, strawberries, blueberries (see a patter with berries?)
- Lower the amount of free radical/oxidative damage in your environment by limiting your exposure to toxins in air/water/food/skin, do not do excessive levels of aerobic activity, avoid trans fats and vegetable oils (and all things cooked in them), don’t smoke, get plenty of sleep and keep your stress down.
As far as whole body health and any disease….I look at it this way: Your body is made up of trillions of cells….do everything you can to keep a cell healthy (rebuilding with good materials, detoxing) and limit things that hinder healthy cell repair/function or cause excessive damage. If you are able to repair and keep cells healthy more than they are being broken down…then you have health. Disease is what happens when the opposite is true, when cell destruction (breakdown, lowered function) is greater than the body’s ability to repair and replace those cells. Simple I know…but helps to really put all things in perspective in my mind.
Thanks Mike for the great answer. You said you only take 1000mg Vitamin C sometimes but I’m assuming you also take Fish Oil pills, right?
I have these ones from Costco and I wanted to clarify something. The label says:
Natural Fish Oil Concentrate: 1000mg
EPA 180mg
DHA 120mg
OK… so first of all, what is the other 700mg? When people say to try to get 3 to 5g per day (I hope that’s right) of Omega 3, then does that mean 10 to 16 of these pills per day?
I would just like to get a hold on anything extra that you personally take, I’m assuming no multi-vitamin too….
Robert - Yes I take fish oil (sorry didn’t lump it in the anti-oxidant catagory). Pills are misleading…like you mentioned above….it says 1000mg but only has really EPA/DHA total of 300mg? You have to take into account all the gel coating and other things that go into making a pill. What counts is the total EPA/DHA….not the other numbers. So if you are looking to get about 3grams of EPA/DHA a day…then you need 10 pills a day! Good luck with that! Personally that is why I always say liquid is a better choice (assuming you have a fridge to store it in and can handle the liquid). 1 tablespoon of fish oil is right about 3g of EPA/DHA….so I would rather do 1 tablespoon than 10 pills. Multi’s I don’t take personally. Sometimes I take some digestive enzymes with meals (one of those things if I run out I don’t run to the store to get more right away…but they do have a positive effect on health and digestion). Resvretol is looking more intereting (as seen by yesterdays post)…haven’t taken it but looking more into it. You are still young that you should really spend the bulk of your money on good foods…not supplements. Foods win hands down all the time. Fish oil is probably my #1 recommendation to most everyone, especially if you are eating too many grain fed meats. Considering the #1 threat most everyone faces is excess ongoing inflammation that can lead to arthritis, heart diseases, neuro-disorders….anti-inflammatory Omega 3s are vital to health and longevity. Other than that….plenty of good fruits and vegetables will provide lots of enzymes, vitamins, minerals and nutrients all in the natural form they were meant to be delivered to the body in.
Thank you Mike for your quick responses, I really appreciate it and will be sending some friends and family over here for reading :- )
Robert - Not a problem…spread the word…as I put this blog up just to share info for everyone to hopefully improve their health and life in general. Just like to keep it simple, share what is important, leave out all the other crap and get people motivated to take action on what is really important and make the right changes in their life. As we all deserve to be healthy, happy and live a nice long life! (and doesn’t hurt to be fit and look good in the process too!
)
Interesting post but could you define “partial fast” for me? Is the partial related to the length of time?
And how does it compare to a juice fast?
Thank you!
Berolina - There are many variations of what people call a fast…water fast, juice fast, etc. Water the most basic and effective one, but is hard to maintain for a long time and may not be suitable for people with hypoglycemia or other medical issues. Juice fasting is usually longer (such as 3-5+ days) and provides you with more energy, but also you have to get the right kind of juices and not flood the body with non stop high sugar content for health benefits. Partial would be anywhere from 18-24 hours (or some go as far as 32, but I wouldn’t suggest that for anyone starting out). A note on 24 hours…remember that is NOT skipping a whole day…as fasting from say 7pm on Mon to 7am Wed is 36 hours (not 24). 24 would be fasting from 7pm Mon to 7pm Tues (and having food then). When in doubt, start slow (15-18hours) and work your way into it 1-2x a week only. The body will appreciate any breaks you can give it and reward in kind. Of course, always check with your physician before attempting to make sure it’s not going to have any negative side effects.
[...] sensitivity is further improved and fasting is prolonged which can have great health benefits…. Those are reason enough and with summer you have no [...]
What is wrong with olive and canloa oil, i’ve always been under the impression that unsaturated fats were good for you?
Jack - Nothing is wrong with those, esp x-virgin olive oil. Polyunsaturates (PUFA) in high doses are the ones to watch out for in excess (highly unstable and oxidized easily), those are mostly MUFA which are good.
[...] sensitivity is further improved and fasting is prolonged which can have great health [...]
[...] sensitivity is further improved and fasting is prolonged which can have great health benefits…. Those are reason enough and with summer you have no [...]
[...] sensitivity is further improved and fasting is prolonged which can have great health benefits…. Those are reason enough and with summer you have no [...]