We are going through the month of Fasting and due to the warm weather it is sometimes not easy to fast. From a religious standpoint, it is one of the great ways to cleanse ourselves of the worldly desires and ills, but at times we pause and think about the scientific or the physical aspects of fasting to our body. I would like to share my understanding with you on this very topic.
Fasting has been done by the people during all ages of human history in various shapes and forms. Its importance had been stressed by the devine words through the messengers of Allah in different times. Muslims are supposed to fast for a whole month of Ramadan from before sunrise to the sunset. They abstain from drinking and eating anything and also abstaining from other worldly desires and they are supposed to be at their best behavior.
While going through moral and spiritual uplift, the physical being gets affected by the abstinence of food and water. The whole body with all its systems gets affected by the fasting and it is felt by people. This physical phenomenon has been studied by various researchers and we will also talk a bit about that.
I have divided the topic of fasting into various small groups to help us understand. It includes the following.
1. Response of the body to fasting and effects on health.
2. Effects of fasting on the disease.
3. Does fasting make you sick.
4. What’s the best way to take advantage of fasting.
RESPONSE OF THE BODY TO FASTING.
With the fasting the body is deprived of calories in terms of food that is carbohydrates, fat and proteins and also minerals and vitamins. Physiologically it goes into catabolic state and starts breaking down fat to produce energy. It causes the accumulation of ketones in the body. The lack of water causes the kidneys to conserve water and concentrate the urine. This results in stress to the bodily functions, and research has shown that this stress is beneficial for the health of the person. There is also the chance that the people observing the fast may get dehydrated, and also can get cranky due to the starvation. They may have headaches and bodyache but those symptoms soon disappear with the first few fasts. Research has shown that the overall health does improve during the fasting. It includes the lean body mass, cholesterol profile, glucose profile insulin resistance, and it slows the aging process with potential to prolong the life span.
According to Dr. Mark P. Mattson, chief of the laboratory of neurosciences at the US National Institute on Aging, fasting every other day (intermittent fasting) shows beneficial effects in mice as strong as those of caloric-restriction diets, and a small study conducted on humans at the University of Illinois at Chicago indicates the same results.
The concept of prolonging the age or delaying the aging process is very fascinating and a study conducted by Dr. Eric Ravussin, “Alternate-day fasting may be an alternative to prolonged diet restriction for increasing the life span”.
Some cardiologist conducted a study in UAE and found that people observing Ramadan, the Islamic fast, enjoy a positive effect on their lipid profile, which means there is a reduction of cholesterol in the blood. A statistically insignificant reduction in HDL cholesterol was also observed.
Researches appearing in scientific American are more geared towards being antiaging process. They have shown the effects of alternate day fasting of rodents that showed lowering the risks of degenerative brain diseases, including chances of Alzheimer’s disease, stroke risk and lowers the stress.
There are other scientists who looked at fasting as the detoxifying agent for the body. Although the opinion is still hiders the detoxifying system of the body and results in a lot of damage due to oxidants. A period of fasting will help the body get rid of the waste products. They argue that theoretically the body enters into ketotic state and burn fat. This fat burning results in detoxification, as most of the waste is stored in the fat stores of the body.
Let me take an excerpt from the webMD, which interviewed a practicing physician Dr Fuhrman.
“There are hundreds of studies showing that when animals are fed fewer calories they live longer,” says Fuhrman.
Studies on animals ranging from earthworms to monkeys have shown that alternating cycles of fasting and very calorie-restricted diets is a reliable way to extend the lifespan.
“The excess calories Americans eat shorten their lives,” says Fuhrman.
If you want to live longer, Fuhrman’s best advice is to “eat healthy and fast periodically.”
The time may come,” Fuhrman says, “whennotoffering this substantially more effective nutritional approach will be considered malpractice.”
WEBMD.
EFFECTS OF FASTING ON THE DISEASE.
We have just seen that the fasting has very positive effect on a normal body function and also it improves the overall health and may cause longevity. Fasting has mixed effects on the disease activity and patients with different kinds of diseases should be careful in observing the fast. This list includes people with kidney diseases, heart patients and uncontrolled or poorly controlled diabetes and blood pressure. Pregnant females should be cautious in observing the fasting. It is simply because of fluid restriction and not the food part of the fast. On the other hand, people who have diabetes can see improvement in their sugar control with the fasting, and the requirement for the medications may be less than normal days. People with long term diseases need to see their physicians before starting the fast to plan for it. Some medicine dosage may be changed and some medicines may be replaced with the once a day dosing drugs.
DOES FASTING MAKE YOU SICK.
By this time it must have been obvious that fasting can only be problematic for the people who are sick or have a disease or condition that they should not be fasting to bein with. Allah in his infinite mercy and with knowledge of the human beings, have given permission for the sick to not observe the fast. As an emergency room physician I have not seen any one who came to emergency department because of fasting. Mostly people get sick because they eat too much or low quality food after the finish their fast and that makes them sick.
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FASTING.
Our body is made in such a way that any stress makes it perform better. So fasting in principal makes us perform better, increases endurance and also makes us a better human being. The best way to take advantage of the fasting is to do it the prescribed way. Rasool Allah (SAW) wants us to have some food before we start our fast. It is utmost important to have the food before starting the fast and then try to rest in the mid day. After the fast is over, please eat and drink in moderation. Drinking water in abundance is not recommended, but it is good to drink fluids in moderation. Eating is moderation will make sure that we fulfill the requirements of the nutrients and don’t overindulge. We preferably should eat home cooked food or at least food which is nutritiously balanced. This way we are able to keep the fast and also get the benefits of it on our health. If we intend to do it following the sunnah, then we get all kinds of worldly and spiritual rewards.
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