The controversy about fasting has never stopped, but this natural therapy, once labeled as a religion, has gradually become scientific, understood and accepted by more people, and many clinicians have also experienced it personally, saying that they “feel good”. What is fasting? What are its benefits? Who is suitable?
proper fasting, less illness and longer life
The BBC Documentary shows that 600 million people around the world have tried fasting. A dieter in his 50s has reduced the fat content of his body from 27% to 19.1% and lost 6 kilograms after fasting for five weeks. More importantly, the content of an oncogenic factor (IGF-1) in his body decreased by 50%. In the film, Luigi of the University of Washington in the United States? Professor von Tanner found through 10 years of research that fasting can stimulate human insulin sensitivity, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and also reduce the level of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the body, which is an important factor leading to breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer.
A recent study published in the American Journal cell metabolism also confirmed that proper control of dietary intake can promote metabolism and cellular changes, reduce oxidative damage and inflammation, promote system regeneration, improve cognitive function and promote longevity. Previous research by the University of Southern California found that fasting for 8 days a year can improve the function of the immune system. Fasting for two days or more can help activate the immune system of the human body, consume fat and sugar stored in the body, and decompose a large number of old cells. Experts believe: “in a fasting state, the human body will send a signal to instruct stem cells to rebuild white blood cells and rebuild the entire immune system.”
fasting is not to eat nothing.
Qin Jian, the founder of fasting therapy of traditional Chinese medicine, Professor of traditional Chinese medicine, chief physician and doctoral supervisor of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat sen University, told the life times that fasting therapy usually means that in a certain period of time, in addition to drinking water and eating a small amount of vegetable juice and fruit juice, people don’t eat any other food, and only rely on the energy storage in the body to ensure the needs of life activities, so as to treat or prevent certain diseases. “Fasting therapy” in the sense of modern medicine was born in Europe in the 18th century. In Qin Jian’s view, as a natural therapy, fasting therapy is simple, low-cost, small side effects, and can reduce drug abuse. His team found in the research that fasting therapy can well alleviate the symptoms of many chronic diseases, including constipation, fatty liver, hypertension, lipid metabolism disorder, obesity and weight control, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, sleep apnea syndrome and other diseases.
Li Wenhui, deputy chief physician of the Endocrinology Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, told this reporter that the most important effect of fasting is to lose weight. Every 3% – 5% reduction in body weight has a significant effect on the control of blood sugar, blood lipids, blood pressure and other indicators. It can be said that fasting does help prevent some metabolic diseases, but it may not be the best way. Other weight loss methods can also play the same role. Once the diet is over controlled and the energy is seriously insufficient, mental and psychological problems may occur, such as poor sleep quality and emotional anxiety. “Therefore, when it comes to fasting, we must grasp the degree, take the overall health (including physical and mental health) as the measurement standard, and cannot blindly pursue weight loss.”
The most common fasting method is the “5:2 fasting method”, which recommends that dieters fast for any two days a week and eat normally for the other five days. Li Wenhui believes that people with no obvious lesions in heart, brain, kidney and other important organs, good cardiopulmonary function, no diabetes, and heavy weight can try this method, which is conducive to controlling the intake of total calories and emptying the food in the gastrointestinal tract.
Chen Wei, deputy chief physician of the Department of parenteral and enteral nutrition of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, is one of the practitioners of fasting. He fasts for two days every Monday and Thursday. During the fasting period, we did not eat anything, but reduced the amount of food to 1 / 4 of the original, that is, the total energy intake of men in a day was about 600 kcal, and that of women was about 500 kcal. During fasting, we should also follow the principle of low calorie and balanced nutrition, and try to eat foods with high protein and monounsaturated fatty acids (such as nuts), vegetables and fruits, so as not to affect our normal work and life. Chen Wei said that 600 kcal energy intake is roughly equivalent to a bag of low-fat milk, an egg, a fruit, one or two staple foods, half a catty of vegetables, one or two meat, and one spoonful of oil. There is no limit to water intake. It should be reminded that after starting a normal diet, you should also step by step, and avoid overeating.
fasting is not suitable for everyone.
If you want to try fasting, the three experts jointly remind you to pay attention to the following points:
1. Not everyone is suitable. Fasting within two days is safe, and most people can follow the above methods. However, children, teenagers, the elderly over 70 years old, pregnant women, lactating women, patients with liver disease, the weak, central nervous system disease, serious chronic infection, tumor patients, severely malnourished people, type 1 diabetes and other serious diseases are not suitable for fasting. If diabetes patients want to try fasting, they had better consult their doctors in advance.
2. Moderate exercise cannot be stopped. Exercise must also be done during fasting, otherwise, the body will first consume muscles to supply energy, which may eventually lead to muscle atrophy. Both diet control and moderate exercise are important for weight control. It is best to do both at the same time, but do not exercise violently during fasting.
3. Don’t do it for a long time. Generally, after fasting for 2-3 months, the weight will drop significantly. After that, it is unnecessary to adhere to it for a long time, and the weight can be controlled through diet and exercise regulation. Don’t fast for more than two days a week, preferably 1-2 days. Observe your own situation during fasting and stop immediately if you feel unwell. Fasting for more than two consecutive days must be carried out under the guidance of professional doctors.
4. Keep healthy eating habits. After fasting to lose weight, the weight is easy to rebound, so we must adhere to healthy eating habits and lifestyle for a long time, and take regular physical exercise.
Finally, we need to remind that we must not blindly believe in various classes in the society under the banner of fasting and health preservation, and it is best to carry out them under the guidance of doctors in regular hospitals.
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