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Introduction
The human body struggles with the abundance of food we face because our genes were not selected for this. In contrast, it is full of adaptations to cope with food scarcity, which is a natural phenomenon. We all have within us a program that the body can switch to when entering a fasting period to use its reserves to meet cellular needs: this is the principle of autolysis. Lysis (cellular destruction) occurs on our own tissues, starting with those that are superfluous, sick, and sometimes dangerous. Thus, excess fat reserves will be used long before muscle mass is affected (the latter can be partially used if fasting is prolonged for a long duration). Noble organs like the brain, nerve tissues, glands, and heart are not affected by this lysis. Fasting is a selective self-cleaning process of the body, where a protein savings is put in place.
Sarah Juszah, naturopath, specialist in health nutrition and raw food, trained in fasting and trekking.
Studies unequivocally show that it is optimal for the body to remain daily between 12 and 16 hours without eating. This is called intermittent fasting; it allows the body to benefit from digestive rest and to initiate the self-cleaning process. The health consequences are notable in terms of increased lifespan (proven in mice), reduced inflammatory processes, and strengthened immunity. Specifically, this means skipping a meal, preferably breakfast, to benefit from a period of activity on an empty stomach.
Beyond healing, fasting is a healthy practice to adopt regularly in life, to reset the system and allow it to breathe a little. Especially in the context of a unique moment in human history where we are dying from being too “nourished”.
Françoise Wilhelmi de Toledo writes:
“(Through fasting) We achieve… a stabilization of the diseases of our time, such as metabolic syndrome, which is an association of abdominal obesity, type II diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and hyperuricemia. Instead of giving five medications plus those to counteract the side effects, we fast to reset all the counters. Obviously, the positive effects will only be maintained if the person improves their lifestyle. It can be a new beginning.”
To confront hunger and benefit from its healing effects, it is also possible to fast for several days or even several weeks. After two or three days of fasting, the body slows its basal metabolism to conserve energy: body temperature, blood pressure, and pulse decrease, and motivation for any activity disintegrates. In return, the senses sharpen, behavioral patterns leave us in peace, and mental faculties (imagination, lucidity, memory, intuition) are literally boosted. One then experiences a remarkable inner experience. If one cannot perform intense physical effort during a fast, energy is still present to carry out moderate endurance efforts such as walking. This is an adaptive process selected by evolution. To survive during periods of restriction, it is precisely at this moment that humans must be most relevant in their choices and able to move over long distances.
The mechanisms of fasting
Fasting provides an effective solution to naturally relieve many diseases, particularly those called civilization diseases. Obesity, hypertension, migraines, pain, inflammation, depression, epilepsy, cancer, … Fasting is also interesting for its psychological benefits and for reconnecting with oneself. It is scientifically proven that periodic fasting and caloric restriction, if balanced, protect us from premature aging and chronic civilization diseases.
The positive effects of fasting come from four main key mechanisms: physiological rest, activation of excretory organs, controlled autolysis of aged, sick, and tumor tissues, and body regeneration with the production of stem cells.
The physiological rest
Beyond the third day of fasting, metabolism slows down: breathing, blood circulation, and all vital activities are slowed. Internal organs, endocrine glands, and the digestive system rest. Only the elimination system does considerable work, as it frees the body from its deeply accumulated toxins. This detoxification requires a lot of energy, and if it is not sufficient and available, the elimination and repair functions will be diminished, leading to detox symptoms that can be unpleasant. It is thanks to this rest time that the body can invest all its energy in its reparative activities: restoring vigor to an exhausted digestive system, rebalancing an overworked glandular system, resting a tense nervous system. This mechanism gives fasting its effectiveness and therapeutic character.
The activation of excretory organs
- Normally, with three or more meals a day, the body spends a good part (between 40 and 60%) of its energy on digestion. With fasting, this energy is used for other purposes, particularly for waste elimination. Thus, the main excretory organs: liver, kidneys, skin, lungs, and intestines can excrete a maximum of toxins to clean the body.
Autophagy or controlled autolysis of aged, sick, and tumor tissues
The word autolysis comes from Greek and means loss of oneself. In physiology, it refers to the process of digestion and disintegration of tissues by enzymes. It is because it is deprived of any nutrient intake during fasting that our body practices autolysis.
The body exerts very strict control over this process: tissues are destroyed in inverse proportion to their utility, and the vital tissues of the body are not sacrificed. On the contrary, non-essential or abnormal tissues are more easily destroyed by autolysis, and their components are transported throughout the body to be recycled and thus nourish vital or healthy tissues. Free radicals are also neutralized and then eliminated. Our body thus repairs itself deeply. It is this process of autodigestion and disintegration of worn tissues that leads to the regeneration of cells, tissues, and organs.
Autolysis attacks in order:
- Circulating metabolic waste in the blood.
- Fats and stagnant waste that are stored deeper in the body.
- Embedded waste (cysts, fibroids, and tumors).
Regeneration with the production of stem cells
The last reason that makes fasting effective against diseases is that it also transfers the vitality released by digestion to the immune system. According to Valter Longo (Italian-American gerontologist and professor of biology specializing in cellular biology and genetics): “Fasting gives the green light to stem cells to activate and start proliferating to rebuild the entire immune system. And the other good news is that the body gets rid of aged, damaged, and ineffective parts during fasting. If you start from a severely damaged immune system due to chemotherapy or aging, fasting cycles can literally regenerate the immune system.”
Fasting also promotes neurogenesis, which notably prevents the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, mental disorders, and depression. Finally, fasting has beneficial effects for regenerating the intestinal flora and slows down aging markers. The entire organism thus benefits from the deep cleaning implemented by fasting.
The 3 energy production processes during fasting:
- The body exhausts its glucose reserves in two days (on average), then produces it from old proteins that need to be recycled.
- The majority (97%) of proteins are preserved; the body then uses lipids. The duration of this phase varies according to the available fat mass.
- When less than 5% of fat mass remains, proteins are no longer conserved. Phase 3 begins, and it becomes urgent to refeed.
What to expect from a fast
Here is a non-exhaustive list of benefits that can be observed following a fast:
- Weight loss (about one kilogram per day in the first few days), but this is not the purpose of fasting!
- A rebalancing of appetite.
- An accelerated elimination of toxins.
- Help in detaching from addictions.
- A progressive destruction of sick, defective, or damaged cells.
- An acceleration of healing.
- A strengthened immune system thanks to more effective white blood cell action.
- An accelerated tissue regeneration due to mass production of stem cells.
- A reduction of all risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
- A purification of the skin, which becomes softer and gains tone.
- Anti-aging prevention, wrinkles fade.
- A cleansing of the intestinal microbiota.
- A decrease in chronic inflammation and allergic manifestations.
- The acceleration of neurogenesis.
- An important awareness of how one leads their life.
- A clarified mind and enhanced creative, memorization, and thinking abilities.
- A breakthrough that helps adjust and reorient the course of one’s life.
- A boost of vital energy and zest for life.
THE CONTRAINDICATIONS TO FASTING
Lack of vital energy
Cachexia (severe wasting)
Anorexia
Hyper- or hypothyroidism treated with Levothyrox
Type 1 diabetes
Advanced cerebral atherosclerosis
Advanced liver or kidney failure
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Stomach or duodenal ulcer
Advanced coronary conditions
Advanced mental illnesses
Ongoing medical treatments (diabetes medication, chemotherapy, immunosuppressants, etc.) — to be discussed with one’s physician
To go further
- The article “Active fasting versus hygienic fasting”.
- The Science and Fine Art of Fasting, , by Herbert M. Shelton, Larry Peterson, et al.
- Therapeutic Fasting: The Buchinger Amplius Method: The Amplius Method, by Francoise Wilhelmi de Toledo (2011-09-21) Paperback
