Many of us are constantly pining over what to eat to stay healthy and in good health, while the team at the University of Southern California has made a very unusual discovery. The team leader, Professor Valter Longo, proved that 72-hour hunger strike is the key to health. Researchers have been able to show that as a result of abstaining from eating, the human immune system is completely rebuilt and is practically re-created. All its worn out and inefficient components are sucked out of the system, and in their place arise new, efficient cells that are able to perfectly fulfill their task.
At a time when most food is simply unfit for food because of the harmful chemicals it contains, and eating in a rational way and enabling good health can be a difficult and difficult task, it is worth mentioning a treatment that was good known to our ancestors.
Both ancient Egypt and Greece are well documented cradles of therapeutic hunger, which brought the expected results even in cases of very serious health problems. Indians have been using hunger for medical purposes since time immemorial, and yogis are known today for being able to keep their bodies in perfect condition thanks to regular abstention from eating. Even in ancient Tibetan textbooks - as early as the fourth century BC. - methods of treatment were described in detail both by means of a specific diet and as a result of fasting.
What does modern science have to say about the effectiveness of fasting in combating diseases and ill-being? Well, in recent decades starving as a method of recovery was a bit controversial and very often criticized topic. Medicine - except in very specific circumstances - generally opposed hunger strike, especially if it was to be done at home. Indeed, long-term fasting, especially if carried out under uncontrolled conditions, may prove not only ineffective, but even quite dangerous. There were, unfortunately, many such cases. If fasting is carried out without proper safety rules, there may be rapid and visible loss of muscle tissue. Prolonged hunger acts on the body very exhaustingly and does not bring any health benefits, and if it is not terminated quickly enough, it can even lead to death!
Summary
The fast as a healing method has been known to mankind since time immemorial. In the last decades, however, it has gained a little controversial fame. Indeed, prolonged starvation can be dangerous, especially if carried out under uncontrolled conditions - that is, at home.
Controlled starvation prolongs life?
Researchers are constantly studying defense mechanisms that allow living cells to adapt to oxidative stress due to their oxygen needs. This adaptation makes them more resistant. Oxygen is indispensable for our survival, but no system is perfect, and as a result of using this element by cells to transform food into energy, harmful by-products are created. With age, our ability to cope with these harmful particles decreases. Researchers believe that they play an important and perhaps even crucial role in the development of cancer, heart failure, Alzheimer's disease, autism and depression.
The results of numerous scientific studies show that organisms such as, for example, worms, fruit flies and mice, but not only, live much longer if they regularly refrain from eating. Why is this happening? Well, regular starvation can help cells of some living organisms to adapt well to oxidative stress, and thus, they become more resistant to various factors and live longer.
Empty plate
Starving seems to trigger a process that activates effective cell regeneration systems (source 1). This can be compared to regularly performed, intense physical exercises, as a result of which our muscles are literally broken up, but thanks to which we become healthier and less ill.
Is it worth reaching for expensive and hard-to-find solutions - such as food completely devoid of chemistry or really clean water - if regular hunger strikes can bring similar results and are available for free? Well, according to some scientists, regular and controlled fasting is an extremely effective tool that allows us to live a long time and, above all, enjoy health and a great frame of mind.
Summary
Researchers confirm that controlled abstention from food intake can contribute to increasing the resistance of our body's cells to oxidative stress. As a result, they become more efficient, more resistant and live much longer.
72-hour hunger strike the key to health?
For starvation to bring positive results, we do not have to refrain from eating in a row for many days, thus exposing ourselves to serious health consequences. It turns out that to feel much better, only 72 hours of non-eating are enough.
This may sound surprising, since starvation has been known to mankind for a long time and it would seem that we already know almost everything about them, but a team of scientists from the University of Southern California made a breakthrough discovery in this area. Doctors have managed to prove that abstaining from food for only 72 hours can result in a complete restoration of the immune system. It sounds amazing, but researchers have unequivocally proved that as a result of such fasting literally a completely new immune system is created on the site of an old, overloaded with unnecessary components and hard-working system.
In starvation, in practice, stem cells enter a special mode and begin to produce new white blood cells that fight infections much more effectively. The researchers were clearly surprised by the results of their own research.
The leader of the team and author of the research, Professor Valter Longo, speaks as follows:
"We could not predict that prolonged starvation could have such a positive effect on the regeneration of the immune system based on stem cells. When you're starving, your body is trying to save energy, and one of the things it can do to achieve this is to literally recycle immune cells that are no longer needed for it, especially those that are damaged. "
It has long been known that prolonged fasting forces the body to use glucose, fat and ketone stores. Scientists from the team of Professor Longo were intrigued by the fact that during fasting the number of white blood cells in the plasma drops significantly, and when we re-enter for food, their number gradually returns to normal. This means that after fasting our body produces completely new white blood cells. It turns out that during fasting, the immune system is cleansed of anything that is not needed. In practice, this process results in its complete reconstruction.
Doctors have found that prolonged fasting results in an effective reduction of the PKA enzyme. How does this affect our health? Well, the exclusion of this enzyme is crucial for maintaining good health and prolonging life. For stem cells to be able to deal with the regeneration of the entire system, the PKA must be effectively disabled (source 2).
In practice, a hunger strike can trigger and sustain the complete regeneration of our immune system, causing it to get rid of everything that is old or poorly fulfilling its tasks. According to Professor Longo, the immune system that is exhausted by age or chemotherapy can be successfully rebuilt with a 72-hour fast. This may be an effective method of recovery, especially in the case of autoimmune diseases.
Summary
Scientists believe that a 72-hour fast can trigger the complete regeneration of our immune system. During the fasting from the blood, all these white blood cells are dumped, which incorrectly fulfill their task and constitute only a ballast for the immune system. After completing starvation, the body begins to produce abundantly new white blood cells that protect the body much better against threats.
Warnings
Fasting should not be carried out by chronically ill people, children or seniors. Before proceeding with the post, one should examine carefully to exclude all possible contraindications. It is worth, among other things, to examine the blood, lungs, kidneys and ECG in the basic range, because during the starving the risk of a heart attack increases significantly.
Even up to 2-3 days fasting should be pre-prepared to gradually get used to the body changes in the way of eating. You should not eat too much before fasting. In the days preceding the planned post meals should be less plentiful - you can plan a few days meatless, and then a vegetable and fruit day. Similarly, for a few days after completing starvation, you should eat less caloric than usual, and not immediately throw yourself at what you fall into.
It is also worth remembering to drink a lot of water, preferably mineral, during fasting.
Before starting a therapeutic fast, always consult a doctor who will refer you to appropriate tests to determine your state of health and determine whether there are any contraindications to starvation.