The benefits of fasting for health are varied, ranging from losing weight, maintaining heart health, to maintaining mental health. One of them is because fasting can increase the body's metabolism. To find out more about the benefits of fasting, see this article.
During this time, some people may think that fasting is a ritual that is carried out to fulfill the demands of religion or tradition. However, who would have thought, behind fasting there are many health benefits. In addition, fasting is also often done as a method of diet called intermittent fasting.
Body Changes While Fasting
When fasting, the body changes according to the length of time fasting. To absorb nutrients from the food and drinks consumed, the body takes about 6-8 hours. This means, the body is able to fast if it is fed first.
Therefore, it is important to eat a nutritious meal before fasting from sunrise to sunset.
Under normal conditions, the body's main energy source is sugar obtained from carbohydrate metabolism or sugar stored in the liver and muscles. During fasting, this sugar intake will be used to produce energy that the body needs. In addition to sugar, fat tissue can also be processed into a source of energy.
If these energy sources are still not enough, the body will burn muscle protein to produce energy. This last phase is called the starvation phase. However, this only happens if one fasts for days without breaking the fast.
Diverse Benefits of Fasting for Health
Here are the various health benefits of fasting that you can get:
1. Lowering weight
The benefits of fasting are quite well known is to help lose weight. Not only that, fasting is also good for maintaining ideal body weight.
Research shows that fasting can increase the body's metabolism, so that the burning of calories and fat in the body also increases. This can make you lose weight. That way, you will also avoid the risk of obesity.
2. Maintain healthheart
Some research shows that people who regularly fast for about 1 month appear to have a lower risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, than people who do not fast.
This is presumably because people who fast can regulate their diet in a healthier way, don't get excessive cholesterol and calorie intake, and have a better metabolism. Therefore, fasting can be done as a way to maintain heart health.
3. Reducing the risk of developing diabetes
One of the other benefits of fasting is that it reduces the risk of diabetes. This is related to the effects of fasting which can stimulate the improvement of body metabolism and increase the performance of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.
Not only that, there is also research that says that fasting can help prevent insulin resistance and keep blood sugar levels stable. This can reduce the risk of diabetes in people who fast.
4. Reduce risk appearance cancer
Animal studies have shown that fasting is beneficial for preventing the growth of cancer cells. The reason is, during fasting, the rate of cell division in the body, including cancer cells, will decrease due to limited nutritional intake.
In addition, a better metabolism is also thought to play a role in making cancer cells more difficult to grow in people who fast. However, the benefits of fasting on this one still need to be studied further.
Remember, to prevent cancer, you are also recommended to live a healthy lifestyle, such as eating a balanced nutritious diet, getting enough rest, exercising regularly, reducing stress, and not smoking and staying away from alcoholic beverages.
5. Maintain mental health
Not only good for physical health, fasting is also beneficial for mental health.
Because fasting can help reduce levels of stress hormones or cortisol and stimulate good endorphins to relieve anxiety. This is thought to be related to the effects of fasting which can improve the body's metabolism.
Not only that, fasting will also make a person feel closer to the Creator. This can make the feelings and inner atmosphere calmer, so that the mind will be clearer.
Understanding Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has a similar pattern to Monday-Thursday fasting. The similarity lies in the diet concept applied, namely the 5:2 diet concept or 5 days not fasting and 2 days fasting. The purpose of this fast is usually to lose weight.
When undergoing intermittent fasting, you need to limit your calorie intake by consuming only about 500–600 calories.
Fasting can indeed provide many benefits for the health of the body. However, it should also be noted that fasting can also be dangerous, if you do it without eating sahur or when your body is not healthy.
Fasting is also generally not recommended for people who have certain diseases or medical conditions, such as kidney disease, liver damage, low blood pressure, low blood pressure, diabetes, eating disorders, and weak immune systems.
In addition, pregnant or lactating women and people who are undergoing certain medications, such as chemotherapy, are also not advised to fast.
Therefore, if you have certain conditions or diseases and want to fast, you should first consult a doctor. This is important to ensure you can safely get the benefits of fasting.