Fasting as a way to disease?

Sometimes I have the impression that both the opponents and the supporters of hunger strikes insist on their rations just like that, as a matter of principle, without giving any rational arguments. The truth is that they have both advantages and disadvantages, however, on certainly they should not be used without the supervision of a specialist. One is sure – it’s not a good way to lose weight. Starvation lowers metabolism and makes it difficult to lose weight in the future – as dietitian Zuzanna Kaczmarek writes. Moreover, not everyone can, even for possible health reasons, use a fast. For some it will be impossible or even harmful, while others may experience unquestionable improvement. At the moment, we do not have enough information to stubbornly stand for one from the parties. What is worth doing is follow the news of fasting. 

Let’s take a look at the research results that were recently published in ‘Cell Stem Cell’. Researchers from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles (USA) conducted a study on mice. The animals were subjected to immunodeficient chemotherapy, with the difference that some were allowed to eat as much as they wanted, and the rest were given a food barrier for 48 hours. The effects were amazing. Mice on a temporary fast after more than 80 days of treatment survived in 100%, while in the second group only 50% remained. individuals. Moreover, in the organism of animals subjected to fasting:

• There was less damage to DNA in immune cells
• Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells were less likely to destroy themselves
• Cells regenerated faster

Importantly, it has been proven that fasting also increases the immunity of healthy animals. The amount of white blood cells at the beginning of the treatment began to decrease, but after a short time it increased to a value six times higher than in the control group.

These results sounded so encouraging that the scientists decided to carry out the first phase of research involving humans. It turned out that a 72-hour fast sustained the number of white blood cells in patients during chemotherapy. 

Further research is still being carried out and hopes for interesting results. So far, however, we do not have enough information to trust this method to increase immunity. Especially sick people and during and immediately after treatment should not use any fasting on their own. It can be extremely dangerous, as the nutritionist Karolina Łąkowska writes in the article on the cleansing effect of fasting.

Photo from the text comes from: RDECOM / Foter / CC BY-SA