Fasting not the best way to lose weight

Health does not seem to be an overt benefit

Almost all fasts seem to be based on the fact that it helps build self-discipline,purification of the body and establish some sort of connectivity with the inner conscious,satisfaction or strength through austerity. Health does not seem to be an overt benefit.

The health benefits of fasts depend on the way they are observed and broken. In general,breaking a fast is more critical than the fast itself. Breaking a fast should be done very slowly. Start with water,fluids and soft foods taken at short intervals and build-up quantity gradually. This allows the body to recover its normal digestive capacity.

The changes that occur in the body in response to fasting depend on the length of the fast. Technically,the body enters into a fasting state eight hours or so after the last meal,when the gut finishes absorption of nutrients from the food. In the normal state,body glucose,which is stored in the liver and muscles,is the bodys main source of energy. During a fast,this store of glucose is used up first to provide energy. Once the stores of glucose run out,fat becomes the next store source of energy for the body. Small quantities of glucose are also manufactured through other mechanisms in the liver.

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Only with a prolonged fast of many days to weeks,does the body turn to protein for energy. This is the technical description of what is known as starvation,and it is clearly unhealthy. It involves protein being released from the breakdown of muscle which is why people who starve look emaciated and become very weak.

Fasting is not the best way to lose weight. While the bodys lean tissue continues to be degraded,tissues are deprived of nutrients. The body also slows its metabolism to conserve energy a wrong effect for weight loss. A diet that moderately restricts calories promotes a faster rate of fat loss and the retention of more lean tissue (muscle and bone) than a severely restricted fast or a very low calorie diet.

The body tolerates short-term fasting well. However,there is no evidence that the body becomes internally cleanse as some believe. Fasting,in fact,may harm the body when ketosis breakdown of fats and some proteins for energy produce ketone bodies upsets the acid base balance of the blood and promotes excessive mineral loss through urine. In as little as 24 hours of fasting,the intestinal lining begins to lose its integrity. Under normal conditions,the brain and the nervous system devour glucose 400 to 600 calories worth each day. After about 10 days of fasting,the brain and nervous system can meet most of their energy needs using these ketone bodies. Thus,indirectly,the nervous system begins to feed on the bodys fat stores. Ketosis reduces the nervous systems need for glucose,spares the muscle and other lean tissues from being quickly devoured and prolongs the starving persons life. Thanks to ketosis,a healthy person starting with average body fat content can live totally deprived of food for as long as six to eight weeks.

Prolonged fasting continued for over a month can have serious effects on the body. These include emaciation,weight loss,diarrhoea,vomitting and stomach pain,acid in the blood and urine,kidney overload,dehydration,increased heart beat and low blood pressure,rapid breathing,change in consciousness,ultimately endangering life. In general,a fast of 10-12 days is considered safe,although an obese person can observe it safely for 30 days.