exist Benefits of fasting Which will help keep your body healthy and receive positive effects on your mental and physical health. Although that, and which is very important: before doing so it is advisable to consult a doctor and have a review.
In a world where the body is an important factor when it comes to developing and relating, the desire to constantly improve our physical body sometimes becomes something sickly and obsessive.
One of the main complexes is that of overcoming the kilos that a priori"are the right ones"for society and that is why new formulas are constantly being reinvented to be able to leave behind unwanted weight.
There are many ways to do this, many of them are diets, which we have talked about many times. On the other hand we find a new fashion: fasting.
What is and what is fasting?
Fasting is defined as"total or partial abstention from eating or drinking." Therefore we can obviate that it is a total elimination, or small reduction of different edible products.
The time for this abstention can vary, starting with a few hours until you can move to days, or even months.
8 benefits of fasting for health
The benefits offered by fasting are several, among which it develops especially in the moments referred to the Ketosis (Body condition in which our body is induced to a state based on the low carbohydrate index).
Commonly known as"miracle cure", we will explain below the benefits of carrying out this action, and as always, with caution and head.
1- Helps to lose weight
The first and clearest of all is the help that gives us to lose weight. Whenever you control yourself within a certain time throughout the day, fasting will help our body to be able to burn fat in a much faster and, of course, effective way.
2- Prevention of type 2 diabetes
According to a study published in 2005 by the Journal of Applied Physiology, after fasting, insulin works more effectively when it comes in contact with blood cells. For this reason, fasting improves the sensitivity of our organism to the insulin .
All of this has the effect of protecting against the onset of diabetes, type 2 diabetes .
According to a study published in 2014 by Medical News Today, the first day of fasting, just by drinking water, can reduce the risk of suffering type 2 diabetes in high probability.
3- Accelerates the metabolism
Fasting makes fat burn in a much faster and more effective way, which is because our metabolism is accelerated by the lack of food to convert, and also helps maintain a much less forced bowel function and therefore, more healthy.
4- Increased life expectancy
Diet has a lot of influence over the years and the life expectancy of people. This Scientifically proven That people who reduce their diet in greater numbers live longer than those who eat more food than enough.
It is said that Indian or Peruvian cultures are the longest due to the diet they continue within their borders.
5 - Prevents cancer
It should be noted that this benefit is not 100% tested, but it is true that there is a promising evidence in practices with animals and several humans.
The results have concluded that fasting is an extra aid to the chemotherapy As well as alleviate its side effects.
6- Improves the immune system
According to a study conducted at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles by Dr. Valter Longo, fasting creates a kind of"restart"by purifying and cleansing our immune cells and regenerating the older ones. In this way a protection against cell damage is produced, which leads to the next benefit.
7- Improves and protects the skin
Being long periods of time without our body having to divert an important energy focus to digestion we can redirect it towards the regeneration of other organic systems.
One of the organs that improves is the skin. Our toxins are cleaned, avoiding among many other effects, the appearance of acne or different blackheads. In addition, it also improves the functioning of organs such as the liver or kidneys among others.
8- Improve the state of the heart
A fasting for several hours will result in a direct reduction of several risk factors related to the heart, since there will be direct changes in our blood pressure or cholesterol.
Some dangers to take into account
It is necessary to take into account a series of negative consequences that can originate when carrying out this process.
- Dehydration: Produced due to lack of food consumption.
- Headache: Derived from dehydration. Headaches can become more pronounced over time.
- Weakness: Physically we will be exhausted, so it is convenient not to perform much physical exercise.
- Stomach Acidity: During this time, our stomach will produce higher amounts of acid than normal.
Religious Fasts
The practice of fasting is widespread throughout the world. In addition to being done by simple aesthetics, there are other types of reasons for fasting in different societies.
Jews
Within the beliefs and the Jewish religion we can find the Yom Kippur , Commonly called the day of repentance. Here, what is involved is that one day a year a total fast is carried out in which not only a food abstention takes place, but also sexual relations and cleaning rituals are terminally forbidden.
In addition the Jewish religion itself encourages to practice personal fasting to find a peace that could be mimicked with contradiction and repentance.
Israelites
The Israelites also offer another day of fasting, specified within the Old Testament, Leviticus:
"This will be a perpetual statute for you and for the foreigners who live among you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must fast, and you can not do any work. That day will be made atonement for you, and thus will be clean before all of the Lord's sins. That day will be for you a day of rest and fasting. It is a perpetual statute."
Islamic fasting
One of the best known and most peculiar in the world: Ramadan Or sawn (in Arabic). As is well known by all, this type of fasting extends for a whole month and is mandatory.
In this process, every Muslim has the right to eat food when the sun falls, without abusing them.
Fast christian
This is based on the same roots as Judaism, with which it is strictly related. However, the Lent Was based on a total of 40 days of fasting (based on the 40 days of fasting that Jesus Christ performed in the desert), while at present the days of obligatory fasting are reduced to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
* Do not forget that this series of benefits will occur as long as the fasting process is carried out with head and responsibility, along with the advice of a professional at all times.