Fasting or abstaining from food is a practice held in many religions. Now there is scientific evidence that shows that this can have health benefits too. Prolonged fasting (abstaining from food for a period of 48 hours to 72 hours) is now being researched and the following benefits have been found:
1. Provides protection to the immune system from damage including damage from chemotherapy toxicity. In mice it has been shown to reduce mortality from chemotherapy treatment.
2. “Reboots” and regenerates the immune system. Prolonged fasting cycles done over a period of six months were found to completely regenerate the immune system and get rid of damaged immune cells.
The author of one study said, “Now, if you start with a system heavily damaged by chemotherapy or aging, fasting cycles can generate, literally, a new immune system.” When we starve, our system begins to conserve energy and to do this it kills off old and damaged immune cells. When we begin to eat again, our stem cells kick in and begin to regenerate our immune cells. So when this cycle is repeated multiple times over a period of six months it is equivalent to building a brand new immune system from scratch.
This is exciting news. Those undergoing chemotherapy or those with compromised immune systems can take recourse to a simple tool: Just undergo periodic cycles of fasting over a period of six months to build up a new immune system. For the rest of us there are implications too. We can use fasting to not only help us with our spiritual goals, but also to help tone up our system and improve its health.
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Credit: This has been collated from various sources including this.