Science behind Extended fasting- How it heals the most resistant chronic ailments
PART 2 : This write up is a continuation of the previous blog on Extended fasting.
The basic rule of food metabolism:
Food is converted to glucose — which is converted to energy. Excess unutilized glucose goes into the storage compartment.
Source of Energy in Fed state versus the Fasting state:
A. Fed state : Body uses Glucose as the primary fuel to produce energy. High blood glucose triggers release of Insulin which puts the body in a storage mode- excess glucose is stored as glycogen & fat in liver.
B. State of Fasting: In the absence of external glucose, Insulin levels drop. Body starts using alternate fuel sources from the storage compartment to produce energy.
STAGES OF FASTING
0–12 hrs: Body wipes up the glycogen in liver and muscles.
Next 12 hrs: Unwanted skin and connective tissue protein is broken down to produce glucose. Meanwhile Counter regulatory hormones (Cortisol & epinephrine) increase after 18 hrs. They increase the metabolic rate, break fat to produce blood glucose and give you energy.
24–48 hrs: Ketogenesis starts. Insulin drops, storage compartment opens. The triglycerides (stored fat) are broken down into fatty acids- which are converted to ketones in liver.
48–72 hrs: Complete switch to Ketosis
The metabolic switch from glucose to ketones (G TO K) happens at the cellular level anytime after 18–24 hrs of fast. It occurs in small amounts every night during sleep.
State of complete ketosis is achieved by the 5th day of fasting. Time of ketosis depends on the amount of fat in the body. People with low glycogen & fat reserve go into ketosis faster.
Why Ketosis is so important:
a. Ketones serve as a more efficient fuel source for the body than glucose. Ketosis is a sign that fat stores being burnt, levels can be detected by a simple urine strip test.
b. Helps in cellular regeneration, including neurogenesis and neuroprotection (brain cells work better on ketones than glucose). Which explains the mental clarity, improved focus, concentration and cognition after a day of fast. Patients of dementia show remarkable improvement on fasting protocols.
Why chose Fasting over Calorie restriction?
Calorie restriction helps to shed a little weight in the beginning which plateaus after a while.
Conventional thinking: [Body fat = Calories consumed — Calories burnt]
Above equation doesn’t seem to work in most cases as it neglects the crucial role of hormones in regulating metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories). When you eat less calories on a daily basis, thermostat in the body resets to a lower level and it starts burning less calories.
In other words, Calorie restriction slows down the Metabolic rate: You eat less — You burn less!
On the contrary, regular fasting helps boost metabolism: Eat in time restricted fashion — You burn more!
Insulin levels: Just as you need a key to use the money saved in a locker, the key to the fat stores is regulated by insulin. To unlock the storage compartment, insulin levels need to drop.
Calorie restriction does not alter insulin levels while fasting is the only way to drop the insulin & tap into your fat stores, lose that excess weight and the sugar!
Does one lose muscle on Extended fasting? No.
Body is smart to feed off the stored carbohydrates (blood glucose and glycogen stores in liver) followed by the stored fat. The muscle remains preserved even in extended fasts. After 48 hrs protein sparing mechanisms get triggered automatically.
Extended Fasting reverses Chronic diseases by changing the body Biochemistry:
- Chronic inflammation drops: Fasting allows rest, rejuvenation and repair in the deepest corners of the body. It helps achieve a faster remission during a flare (relapse) of autoimmune disease.
- Boost Gut microbiome: Fasting is one of the most powerful & underutilized therapy to heal a leaky gut- which is the root of autoimmune and most chronic diseases. When you let your gut rest without food, the bad bacteria thriving on sugar die.
- Reverse Insulin resistance: Improve diabetes, cardiovascular disease, BP, cholesterol, obesity, fatty liver, PCOD, altered hormonal axis.
- Growth hormone: There is a progressive natural decline in GH secretion with age. GH levels spike up in blood after 24–48 hrs of fast. As the name suggests, it helps in making new cells, build more muscle, makes one look younger.
- BDNF (Brain derived neurotrophic factor): A neurotransmitter that helps in growing new brain cells that leads to improved functionality. A study showed a 2000% increase in BDNF after a 2 day water fast.
- Autophagy: is a natural detoxification process that declines with age, inhibited by constant eating and poor lifestyle choices. Fasting activates autophagy- clearing off the old cellular junk and recycling of dead cells to make new organelles like mitochondria. Eg. Patients of Alzheimer’s disease show remarkable clinical improvement after fasting due to clearing of unwanted protein deposits in the brain.
- Fasting lengthens the telomeres (ends of chromosomes which shorten with age): This reduces risk of cancer and promotes anti-aging effects.
- Stem cell mobilization from bone marrow after 5 day fast- Stem cells regenerate the lost tissues in the body & improve physiologic functioning of damaged internal organs. This has a revolutionary impact in reversing the most resistant chronic diseases.
In case of an autoimmune disease, a 5 day fast brings in most remarkable effects. The inflammation resolves while the stem cells replenish the tissues lost as a result of autoimmune damage. The malfunctioning of the immune system improves, decreasing the risk of future relapse.
Fasting refurbishes an aging body. If you are stuck with a chronic health ailment, extended fasting can open new avenues of healing. It offers a promising adjunctive approach in treating modern day chronic lifestyle diseases.