What happens to the body when you fast for a day/week
In recent years, intermittent fasting has become a popular and effective way to lose weight, normalize nutrition, and cleanse the body of toxins.
But experts' opinions about this type of diet differ.
Some argue that abstaining from food for a short period of time can have a beneficial effect on the body, while others argue that even short fasts not only do not bring benefits, but can also endanger a person’s health.
Therapeutic fasting may be prescribed by doctors before operations under general anesthesia, for stomach pathologies or certain neurological abnormalities.
Before starting fasting, you should consult a doctor. Contraindications to fasting may include: weakness of the cardiovascular system, renal failure, inflammatory processes, parasitic diseases, and some others.
What happens to the body during fasting?
The main resource for the body is glucose. It enters the blood from the intestines, liver and kidneys and is the main food product for the body's cells. If there is a deficiency, a person may feel weak, dizzy and nauseous.
In a normal healthy state, the glucose level is constantly maintained at 4-6 Mm. After about 20 hours of fasting, the required glucose level drops, and a person begins to experience a strong feeling of hunger.
If a person refuses food at this time, the liver releases glucose from its reserves. Fasting for 24 hours is not dangerous for the body because there is no metabolic disorder.
Elena Kondrashova, a functional medicine specialist, recommends practicing 24-hour fasting once a week. This helps to reduce weight, increase insulin sensitivity, and normalize eating behavior.
Longer fasting leads to activation of autophagy – self-eating.
This is the process by which cells begin to use their own material to produce energy.
This ability of the body has been actively studied by scientists since 2016. First of all, old and weakened cells are utilized, thanks to which the human body can continue to function even with prolonged abstinence from food.
At this stage, active breakdown and conversion of fat mass into energy occurs. 36-hour fasting helps remove toxins and renew cells, but giving up food for such a long period can be dangerous to your health.
After 72 hours without food, all metabolic processes in the body slow down. A feeling of satiety appears due to fatty acids that have replaced hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Bile stagnation occurs, intestinal microflora dies and vitamin deficiency occurs.
To maintain life, the body takes energy from ketones, an intermediate element of metabolism. This condition is called ketosis.
Nutritionists have not come to a consensus on the benefits or harm of ketosis. However, with a lack of water during this period, ketone bodies accumulate to a critical level and electrolyte imbalance is disrupted.
Ketosis can develop into ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition in which the blood acidity shifts. Even a slight fluctuation in this indicator can lead to death.
After seven days of fasting, irreversible changes occur in the body. The liver and kidneys suffer, respiratory and cardiac failure may occur, and brain cells die.
After such a long hunger strike, one cannot do without the help of doctors, and long-term rehabilitation may be required.
With such a long refusal of food for medical reasons, parenteral nutrition is used - special nutritional solutions are administered intravenously. You should not practice this on your own, it is life-threatening.
Previously, we talked about improving the taste of coffee with spices.
