Intermittent Fasting vs. Prolonged Fasting: Benefits of 1-3 Day Fasts- Thomas DeLauer… Learn some of my Fasting Protocols with me 1:1 [ Ссылка ]
Prolonged fasting (PF) is that which lasts from 48 hours to 120 hours-
Studies have found that fasting:
Reduces oxidative damage and inflammation
Promotes optimal energy metabolism
Protects cells
In humans benefits include:
Weight loss
Arthritis benefits
Asthma improvement
Helps with hypertension
Prolonged fasting has been demonstrated to:
Increase cellular resistance to toxins in both human and mice studies
Reduces circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)
Protect cells from chemotoxicity (for example those who undergo chemotherapy)
Differences between PF and fasting of less than 24 hours are likely due to the complete exhaustion of glycogen. Our liver stores most of our body’s glucose in the form of glycogen.
Following 12 o 24 hours of fasting (varies by person and factors such as physical fitness), liver (hepatic) glycogen stores are depleted and the body turns to the following for energy:
Nonhepatic glycogen stores
Free fatty acids
Ketone bodies
Humans can survive 30 or more days fasting. This way of producing energy may slow cellular aging in mammals. It is natural for humans to have high energy when hungry and lower energy when satiated - likely because we would have needed our brains functioning well to come up with new sources of food.
Hunger creates a cascade of bodily processes that may explain the benefits of fasting. When we are hungry, certain hormones are released and neuronal networks activated. The hunger response leads to increased activity in the neuronal networks related to cognition.
This leads to:
Production of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor)
Synaptic plasticity improvement
Stress tolerance increase
Cardiovascular benefits are likely due to the increased levels of adiponectin during fasting
Adiponectin is released from fat cells. Obese individuals have less circulating adiponectin than normal weight individuals. Too little adiponectin is tied to many chronic diseases, including type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cancer and heart disease. Adiponectin in an anti-inflammatory agent and protects against chronic disease. Hypertension has been helped in a human study with 13 days of water only fasting, and the benefits even remained when blood pressure was tested following 6 days of normal eating. Fasting for 3 or more days leads to changes in insulin, IGF-1, IGFBP-1 and glucose:
30% or greater decrease in plasma insulin and glucose levels
Decrease in IGF-1, the major growth factor in humans
High IGF-1 and insulin levels are tied to aging and cancer
Increase in IGFBP-1 (a protein that inhibits IGF-1)
Longer fasting periods have shown impressive results for those with rheumatoid arthritis
Best results are with a fasting periods of 1-3 weeks followed by a vegetarian diet.
Immune system benefit:
Fasting for 3 days or longer leads to a reset of the immune system
Fasting lowers white blood cell counts, leading to new white blood cells being created by the immune system
A study took cancer patients who were undergoing chemotherapy and had them fast for 1, 2 or 3 days prior to chemotherapy.
Those who fasted for 3 days, but not those who fasted for 1 day, experienced fewer harmful side effects, such as immunosuppression .Many positive effects have been found for both prolonged fasting as well as intermittent fasting, so incorporating either into your routine will likely be beneficial.
*It is very important to speak with your doctor before going on a fast lasting 3 or more days. Longer fasts may not be advised for those who are underweight, young or old.
References:
1. Prolonged fasting reduces IGF-1/PKA to promote…
[ Ссылка ]00151-9
2. Fasting: molecular mechanisms and clinical applications
[ Ссылка ]00503-2
3. Adiponectin
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