Submitted By: Anand Srivastava, a health & nutrition blogger

So were you fasting this festive season? Here are the benefits your body derived from your fasting before the Diwali feasting!

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. It could be an absolute abstinence from all food & liquid for a particular period, or be partially restrictive (allowing certain liquids or foods). Fasting is a very ancient practice, and almost all religions encourage some form of fasting.

While occasional intermittent fasting (fasting once in a while) helps rejuvenate the body, different types of fasting provides different benefits to the body.

Types of Fasts

1. Water Fast: In this type of Fast, only water is allowed. It’s possible to continue such a fast for over a month. It is actually better to add lemon and salt, to provide electrolytes and acids.

2. Absolute fasts: These avoid water, and can be very hard on the body. They should be followed very rarely, and avoided durations over 16-24 hours. They are not as helpful as water fasts.  This type of fast happens over the Ramadan.

3. Protein fast: This involves eating only fruits, which are very low in proteins. Usually fats like ghee and coconut oil can be added, and so this type of fating is better for longer term fasts like Navratri fasts observed by Hindus, which avoid grains and meat (and results in a low protein diet) and by Catholics who avoid meat during the season of Lent.

4. No Grain fasts: The Chinese observed Bigu as it was supposed to cure several illnesses.

Intermittent Fasting is the method of fasting at regular or irregular intervals. Most religious fasting is intermittent in nature, including the Navratri fasts (which is both a no grain, and a low protein fast).

Fast: What it means for the body

When we eat a meal, we use the energy from it while the digestion process is on which is typically 6-8 hours. Rest of the energy is stored as glycogen and in fat stores. After the digestion is complete the liver starts providing energy to the brain and neurons. Energy for the rest of the body comes more from stored fat, and less from glucose. During the next 6-10 hours, the muscles would have used up most of the stored glucose. After that most of the energy comes from fat in the form of ketones. Glucose requirement is fulfilled by converting ketones.

After about 24 hours of fasting, there is only enough glucose for the brain – and that too only about 25% of its peak requirement. The rest of the energy comes from ketones (by-products when fatty acids are broken down for energy in the liver) or fat. Brain can only consume ketones and glucose, so the body distributes available glucose & fat accordingly.

Benefits of Fasting

A. Build Muscles
When we fast, we lose muscle fibers that are weak. After the fast the muscles that were broken down during the fast are the first targets of rebuilding. The second time around the body is more likely to build stronger muscle fibers. So, in this way, a fast actually results in increased strength. John Berardi a very popular fitness coach talks about his experiments with water fasting, he used to be a 6 times a day dieter before.

B. Lose Fat
Since fasting reduces energy input it turns metabolic functions to fat stores. While fasting does not reduce metabolic rate, eating after a fast increases metabolic rate. This results in increased average metabolic rate with regular fasting. Fasting in effect provides a lot of benefit to overweight people.
Fasting does not reduce metabolic rate till about 72 hours of fasting

C. Increase Human Growth Hormone.
HGH is directly related to the age of a person. Fasting could be making you younger ☺.

D. Make our brains clearer and sharper.
This probably is because the brain works better when it has a good ratio of glucose and ketones as fuel. People with insulin resistance are not able to provide enough ketones to their brains as their glucose levels remain high. Fasting is also helpful in several brain related disorders:Alzheimer's, Huttington's, Trauma

Fasting has been shown to be a very effective in cancer treatment. It is also shown that fasting damages cancer cells but not normal cells.

Summary

Fasting has been considered very beneficial since time immemorial – by science & religion. Science provides ample evidence of its benefits. Intermittent Fasting is slowly gaining acceptance for body building and weight loss. Ease of Fasting shows the health of the body; it’s very difficult for an unhealthy person to fast. A 24 hour fast is a must for a healthy body, but be aware that if you are not able to do it, fix the problem first rather than plowing through it.