Let’s face it: we live in a throwaway
society and, in our daily lives, the longest period of food withdrawal
lasts from dinner to breakfast the next morning. However, back when the
word "globalization"
did not exist, our ancestors used to undergo alternating periods of
overfeeding and starvation, caused by fluctuating weather conditions and
food availability. Fasting was a part of life. Nowadays, regular
periods of fasting are still practiced around the world, but mainly for
traditional, religious, or cultural reasons [1]. But what exactly are
the effects of fasting on the brain and is it really healthy to fast?
Fasting Comes in All Shapes and Sizes!
Before getting into the brain facts of fasting, let’s work a bit on terminology. Fasting is defined as abstaining from all kinds of food or drink and can last for short or extended periods of time, typically between 12 hours and 3 weeks [2]. Intermittent fasting is a type of fasting where you cycle between periods of fasting and non-fasting. In addition, fasting can also refer to abstaining only from selected foods, which usually lasts for longer time periods. On the other hand, starvation is defined as chronic nutritional insufficiency and although it is sometimes used synonymously for fasting, it generally describes more extreme forms [2].
One example of short intermittent fasting is Ramadan, one of the best known religious fasting practices. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar during which Muslims don’t eat or drink from dawn to sunset [3]. Other fasting practices can be observed in several religions and range from abstinence from some or all kinds of food or drinks. Examples are Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in Judaism, when adults abstain from any food or drink for 24 hours [3], and fasting practices of the Greek Orthodox Christians, who forgo certain foods for a total of 180-200 days each year [4].
 |
| Source: Flickr |
Fasting Comes in All Shapes and Sizes!
Before getting into the brain facts of fasting, let’s work a bit on terminology. Fasting is defined as abstaining from all kinds of food or drink and can last for short or extended periods of time, typically between 12 hours and 3 weeks [2]. Intermittent fasting is a type of fasting where you cycle between periods of fasting and non-fasting. In addition, fasting can also refer to abstaining only from selected foods, which usually lasts for longer time periods. On the other hand, starvation is defined as chronic nutritional insufficiency and although it is sometimes used synonymously for fasting, it generally describes more extreme forms [2].
Fasting: age less and be happier!
One example of short intermittent fasting is Ramadan, one of the best known religious fasting practices. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar during which Muslims don’t eat or drink from dawn to sunset [3]. Other fasting practices can be observed in several religions and range from abstinence from some or all kinds of food or drinks. Examples are Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in Judaism, when adults abstain from any food or drink for 24 hours [3], and fasting practices of the Greek Orthodox Christians, who forgo certain foods for a total of 180-200 days each year [4].
Effects on Our Bodies
While the purpose of religious fasting is primarily spiritual, it also has the potential to greatly affect one's physical health [4]. Prolonged fasting is a strong physiological stimulus and initiates a variety of responses in the body. Stunningly, intermittent fasting has been shown to enhance network plasticity, reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain, increase neurotrophic factor availability and enhance stress resistance [2]. It is therefore not surprising that fasting is sometimes used in clinics: physicians monitor patients while they are fasting for periods lasting for one week or longer (usually only consuming water or a very low-calorie diet with less than 200 kcal/day) in order to improve weight management, disease prevention or treatment [2]. Fasting also seems to relieve various form of pain, ranging from non-specific chronic pain and fibromyalgia to migraines [5].
Lifting Up Your Spirits
Even more surprisingly, fasting doesn’t make you grumpy – on the contrary! Several studies have found that prolonged fasting is accompanied by increased alertness, better mood, a subjective feeling of being well and sometimes even euphoria [1]. One explanation for this could be an increase in tryptophan availability and serotonin turnover in the brain and the release of endogenous opioids [5].
Animal and human studies indicate that fasting – when done right, with the supervision of a professional – can have beneficial effects by reducing inflammatory markers and age-associated processes and be useful in the treatment of many different diseases [2].
[1] http://bit.ly/2vBPDqk
[2] http://bit.ly/2tpY7nY
[3] http://bit.ly/2u7PoUh
[4] http://bit.ly/2ua1XQJ
[5] http://bit.ly/2u7XkoT
by Juliane Schiwek, PhD Student AG Eickholt
This article originally appeared September 2017 in CNS Volume 10, Issue 3, Spirituality in Science
No comments:
Post a Comment