Benefits of Fasting

Benefits of Fasting

By definition:   Short (AKA I.F) is less than 24 hours. Long is 24-72 hours. Extended is 72+ hours

• Short fasts (16-24 hours) can help regulate insulin, blood sugar, ghrelin levels as well as upregulate growth hormone production. Depending on the metabolic condition of the individual, autophagy may also be an added benefit.
• Extended (3+ day) fasts can effectively reboot your immune system via stem cell-based regeneration (Tools of Titans, 24).
• Extended (5+ day) fasts are an effective cancer prevention strategy. Cancer cells that are in all of us just need to be pushed over the edge to be killed. Fasting clears out these damaged cells through a process known as autophagy (Guide to IF, 19). Fasting is important before standard cancer treatment because it slows rapidly dividing cells and triggers an energetic crisis that makes cancer cells selectively vulnerable to chemo and radiation (Tools of Titans, 31). The goal is to kill (starve) cancer cells by not feeding them sugar and carbs, which is their fuel source. The ketones that are produced during the fast may act as a protective measure against cancer. A ketogenic diet conditions the body to allow other treatments to be more effective.  Fasting and a ketogenic diet conditions normal cells in the body to be more robust and resist toxic therapies while at the same time do the opposite to cancer cells. The ketones upregulate the way the cell manufactures glutathione, (the master antioxidant of the cell) they hyper energize the cell through ATP production, and cancerous cells are put under tremendous oxidative stress due to their inability to efficiently use ketones as energy, partly due to their damaged mitochondria. “Fasting increases stem cells but reduces immune cells. After refeeding, stem cells generate new and healthy immune cells (Longevity Diet, 203)”.  “If you starve an organism, it will go into a highly protected, nongrowth mode – this is the shield. If you starve a cancer patient before injecting chemotherapy, normal cells will respond by putting up a defensive shield. But the cancer cells ignore the command to kneel and thus remain vulnerable – providing a way to potentially eradicate cancer cells with minimal damage to normal cells (Longevity Diet, 119)”.
• Extended: Autophagy, a benefit of fasting, is a genetic program where the body actually cleans out old junky proteins and subcellular parts. The absence of nutrients makes the body prioritize which cellular parts to keep since we don’t have the energy to provide for them all. If you don’t clear out these cells, they sit around and create pro-inflammatory cytokines, thus damaging nearby cells. Autophagy also plays a role in removing amyloid beta proteins in the brain, thus preventing Alzheimer’s (Guide to IF 5, 153). Using coffee and tea during fast may increase autophagy (Rhonda Patrick)
• Extended: Apoptosis is enhanced with prolonged (extended) fasting as well. Apoptosis is a genetic program that causes cells to self-destruct.
• Extended: Massive boost in stem cell production. Stem cells increase regenerative power, which is what we want because stem cell numbers decline with age and with it, organ function.
• Extended: Mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. Causes cells to clear damaged mitochondria and recycle their defective components for energy called mitophagy, followed by the conglomeration of new mitochondria called mitochondrial biogenesis. Mitochondria accumulate damage with age just as cells do and this can accelerate the aging of cells. Fasting not only clears away old damage mitochondria, it produces new mitochondria to replace damaged ones.
• Extended: Increases NAD+. This is a very important cofactor for many important enzymes, which means you need it for these enzymes to work properly. Your mitochondria need NAD+ to produce energy from glucose or free fatty acids. Anytime there is inflammation or DNA damage occurring, this sucks up the NAD so the mitochondria suffer. NAD+ levels decrease in multiple tissues due to aging.
• Extended fasts can help lower blood lipid levels (Cholesterol, LDL, Triglycerides, Inflammation markers, etc)(Guide to IF, 25).
• Extended fasts may allow for a good cleaning out of excess waste through bowel movements that occur even after days without food (Guide to IF, 18).
• Increases the repairs process such as damaged DNA, cells, mitochondria, and proteins. Must be done during a fasted state.
• Improves blood sugar, insulin sensitivity, blood lipids, improves inflammatory markers, and improves adiponectin, leptin, and BDNF, and gives your pancreas rest from producing insulin 
  • Adiponectin: It not only tells us when we had enough food, but also protects our arteries from oxidative damage. Adiponectin is a protein hormone that is secreted by fat tissue and has the following effects when upregulated due to fasting: decrease is gluconeogenesis, increases glucose uptake, and protects us from endothelial dysfunction.
  • The lowering of insulin levels helps lower excess sodium and water as insulin causes sodium and water retention in kidneys (Guide to IF, 47).
  • When we fast, glucagon up-regulates insulin sensitivity – turning receptor cell sites on to accept energy (nutrients). Glucagon is released when we are hungry and allows proteins to be converted to glucose (process known as Gluconeogenesis). In a normal state of insulin resistance, our cells are not open to hearing the signal insulin sends out for cells to uptake the blood sugar that is in the bloodstream. Glucagon helps counter insulin resistance.
• Neurological benefits. Fasting turns on the machinery for the production of BDNF → creation of new brain neurons. Fasting increases attention, acuity, focus, and  memory due to the increase in BDNF. Also, insulin is inversely correlated to memory → lower insulin, raise memory (Guide to IF, 150).
• Powers up Nrf2 Pathway, which is the bodies own pathway to upregulate the production of antioxidants, which assists in detoxification, decrease in inflammation, and increase in brain protective antioxidants (Grain Brain, 3) 
  • “Antioxidants protect our tissues against oxygen damage by acting like selfless chemical heroes, throwing themselves in the line of fire to protect other chemicals from free radical and oxygen damage. Not only does antioxidants gradually lose their ability to do this over time, as oxidation inevitably occurs during storage, their potency can be neutralized through the drying and/or heating of processing. This is why a lot of foods deliver the most antioxidant punch when eaten raw (Deep nutrition, 265)”
• Fasting allows you to gain a real sense of when you are hungry and allows you to control your eating patterns.
• Sustained energy from burning body fat as fuel versus burning food. One reason for this is because adrenaline is used to release stored glycogen and facilitate fat-burning. The increased adrenaline levels stimulates our fat burning metabolism (Guide to IF, 49). Increases lipolysis (Fat-burning)
• Anti-aging effects. Fasting raises growth hormone which stimulates the production of new cell parts. Growth hormone is known to increase the availability and utility of fats for fuel. It also helps to preserve muscle mass and bone density.