Working out from the beginning has always been about getting in great shape for sports. After high school sports ended, I continued to work out, but I found it more challenging since I was unsure of my place anymore. I experimented with different workout routines, including cutting, bulking, and fasting. Although I was never able to sustain a few days of fasting due to its internal impact, I have always been intrigued by the practice because of its ability to help reduce weight in a short duration; however, I also recognized the risk it poses to muscle mass. Despite its complications and potential health issues, fasting can offer significant benefits.
The physiological and biochemical adaptations to prolonged fasting, along with their potential benefits for human health when attempting significant weight loss, should not be overlooked. Research indicates that humans can endure water-only fasting for up to 21 days without harming the heart or liver, while also experiencing improvements in both physical and mental health. In a 34-day experiment that included a 21-day fast, participants experienced a 15% loss in body weight, a 20% decrease in resting energy expenditure, a 21% reduction in blood glucose levels, and an increase in blood ketone levels. During a fasting period, the body slows down its metabolic rate. It begins to run on fat and ketones, which helps protect the heart and liver while sacrificing non-essential functions until regular eating resumes (Dai et al., 2024). The advantages of a 21-day fasting period include improved glucose and insulin regulation, as well as decreased inflammation. However, it also carries risks such as depriving the body of essential nutrients, reducing lean muscle mass, and potentially leading to electrolyte imbalances (Ezpeleta et al., 2024; Dai et al., 2024).
Prolonged fasting is capable of producing weight loss in a short duration when the fasting can last longer than 10 days. When one opens up to the fasting window, the body's blood sugar levels decrease as each day passes faster than the body can adapt, and you will begin to feel shaky, lightheaded, or sweaty, impacting the sympathetic activity. Research indicates that during a 2-day fasting period, moderate stress is evoked in overweight individuals, leading to a decrease in heart rate variability. Although individuals became very sensitive to the disruption in regular eating, there was no impairment to the cognitive, motor, mood, or brain activity (Solianik & Sujeta, 2017).
References:
Dai, Z., Zhang, H., Sui, X., Wu, F., Zhang, C., & et al. (2024). Analysis of physiological and biochemical changes and metabolic shifts during 21-day fasting hypometabolism. Scientific Reports. 14. 10.1038/s41598-024-80049-2
Ezpeleta, M., Cienfuegos, S., Lin, S., Pavlou, V., Gabel, K., & et al. (2024). Efficacy of safety and prolonged water fasting: a narrative review of human trials. Nutrition Reviews. 59(9), 1901-1915. 10.1007/s11517-021-02380-4
Solinanik, R., & Sujeta, A. (2017). Two-day fasting evokes stress, but does not affect mood, brain activity, cognitive, psychomotor, and motor performance in overweight women. Behavioral Brain Research. 338, 166-172. 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.10.028
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