How Fasting Is Helpful for Sustaining Good Health

According to health rules, human body cleanses itself every day through its eliminative systems, which expel wastes (stool, urine, sweat, exhaled breath). The liver, which does a lot of detoxification, releases its end products through these same channels of elimination. The body is always trying to get rid of what it doesn’t need, or what is burdensome to it. These substances can be simply the indigestible fiber from eating vegetables, or chemicals that we take in via food additives, pesticides, or other pollutants. When we intentionally do a cleanse, we are purposefully supporting and strengthening our body’s intrinsic cleansing systems.

This intentional cleansing is what we’ll explore here, with a focus on fasting. Fasting is often part of cleansing. Fasting helps our body utilize its own cleansing and healing capacities to restore health and vitality.

Despite its recent surge in popularity, fasting is a practice that dates back centuries and plays a central role in many cultures and religions. Defined as abstinence from all or some foods or drinks for a set period, there are many different ways of fasting. Generally, most fasts are performed over 24–72 hours.

Fasting refers to abstaining from food and drink for a certain period of time, usually in line with religious beliefs. Fasting, practiced by Muslims during Ramadan, covers a period from sunrise to sunset.

Some of the benefits of fasting can include spiritual gains, health benefits such as developing patience and self-control, increased empathy, resting the digestive system, weight control and regulating metabolism. It also strengthens feelings of social solidarity and solidarity and provides social cohesion.

There are many different types of fasts, making it easy to find a method that fits your lifestyle. Here are a few of the most common types of fasting:
Water fasting: Involves drinking only water for a set amount of time.

Juice fasting: This entails only drinking vegetable or fruit juice for a certain period.

Intermittent fasting: Intake is partially or completely restricted for a few hours up to a few days at a time, and a regular diet is resumed on other days.
Partial fasting: Certain foods or drinks such as processed foods, animal products, or caffeine are eliminated from the diet for a set period.

Calorie restriction: Calories are restricted for a few days every week.

Within these categories are also more specific types of fasts. For example, intermittent fasting can be broken down into subcategories, such as alternate-day fasting, which involves eating every other day, or time-restricted feeding, which entails limiting intake to just a few hours each day.

From a spiritual perspective, fasting can contribute to an individual's inner peace and spiritual depth, and provide an opportunity to focus on spiritual values. However, it is important for individuals to take appropriate precautions before fasting, taking into account their health conditions.

Fasting has many physical, mental and spiritual benefits. The benefits of fasting can generally have positive effects on a number of organs and systems. However, these effects may vary from person to person and may vary depending on how fasting is practiced, the person's general health and age. Here are some potential beneficial effects of fasting:

Digestive System: Fasting provides a rest period for the stomach and intestines. The digestive system starts to use energy from stores during fasting, which can regulate its normal functions.

Fasting can help detoxify the body. Giving the digestive system a break can contribute to cleansing the body of harmful substances.

Liver: During fasting, the liver uses stored glycogen to meet the body's energy needs. Also, fasting can support the liver's detoxification processes.
Pancreas: Fasting can improve insulin sensitivity and help the pancreas to produce insulin more effectively. This helps control blood sugar.

Heart and Circulatory System: Fasting can regulate blood pressure, correct cholesterol levels and improve cardiovascular health.

Brain: During fasting, the body uses energy more efficiently. This can increase cognitive function and support brain health.

Immune System: Fasting can lower inflammation levels and strengthen the immune system. This can increase resistance to disease.

Fasting Improves Insulin Sensitivity: Fasting has shown to have a positive effect on insulin sensitivity, allowing you to tolerate carbohydrates (sugar) better than if you didn’t fast

Fasting Promotes Longevity: The less you eat, the longer you will live. Studies have shown how the lifespan of people in certain cultures increased due to their diets.

Fasting Helps Clear The Skin And Prevent Acne: Fasting can help clear the skin because with the body temporarily freed from digestion, it’s able to focus its regenerative energies on other systems.

Fasting can help with weight control. Limiting food intake over a period of time allows the body to use its energy stores and lose weight.

Fasting can strengthen patience and willpower. Abstaining from food and drink for a certain period of time can increase self-control.Fasting can help a person achieve emotional balance. Physical discipline can positively affect mental and emotional balance.

By experiencing the difficulties of hunger and thirst, fasting can provide an opportunity to understand and empathize with the difficulties experienced by others.

Increasing the number of people fasting in society during Ramadan can strengthen solidarity and community awareness.

Fasting is considered a process of spiritual cleansing and purification in the teachings of many religions. It can contribute to strengthening spirituality.
Fasting is an act of worship with the aim of gaining piety (avoiding disobedience to God). This can increase an individual's religious sensitivity.

However, it is important to remember that fasting is not suitable for everyone and the effects may vary depending on the person's health status. It is recommended that everyone should consult with a health professional before fasting, especially pregnant women, children and individuals with certain health conditions. Factors such as health status, age and pregnancy should be taken into consideration when deciding to fast. If there are any health problems, it is important to consult a health professional before fasting.


Dr. Samir Kumar Saha is former
 Executive Director of Public
Health Foundation, Bangladesh.