Fasting for what purpose? Some medical benefit i do not know about? I know of no credible benefit to fasting. Eating healthy is far more important in my opinion.
I’ve never thought fasting seemed unhealthy but I’ve never done it because my body craves food several times a day. But, I’m telling you, when the top cardiologists at our hospital, which is supposedly ranked 3rd in the nation, recommend the book, which was written by Dr. Jason Fung, a Toronto physician who specialized in the care of patients with kidney disease, I am impressed. The diet isn’t for everyone, although from what my husband has told me about the book, it can benefit most anyone, but especially those with poor kidney function or type II diabetes. My husband’s kidneys are damaged from a lifetime of uncontrollable high BP and too many pills. He is destined to have type II diabetes if he doesn’t do something. So, this is what he’s doing and so far it’s working extremely well.
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There’s some evidence that fasting can be beneficial for, amongst other things, weight control. I just came across this article this morning, although it’s from a couple of years ago.
I also recall reading somewhere that short-term fasting can improve insulin resistance and cholesterol levels. When I inadvertently fasted, I thought that my pain levels felt a bit better.
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Hmm, there is some stuff floating around about lowering calorie intake relating to longer life span but I do not know if any credible study exists. A cause and effect relationship- classically speaking is difficult if not impossible to prove. I would settle for an efficient cause. I am skeptical of health benefits relating to fasting due to the origin of the term. Typical fasting was more a old remnant of ideals related in my view to non empirical science. I am open to any good study though and how it could relate to humans.
That’s exactly what the book relates to.
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My wife and I both read The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung about 6 weeks ago. We’ve been fasting (22-hr) about every other day since then (no eating from dinner until dinner the next day). I’m also following Dr. Fung’s low-carb-high-fat (lchf) eating approach and I’ve noticed a marked difference in my PsA. My hands don’t hurt any more and are much less swollen. On Thanksgiving, I ate some carbs (wheat, sugar) and woke up with pain in my hands. They hurt the entire next day (yesterday). On my fast days, I drink homemade bone broth about mid day, and green tea, in addition to water (8-10 cups) and coffee (1 cup). I have so much more energy than I used to. And I don’t get hungry - probably because when I do eat, the food has satiating fat in it. I’ve also lost about 15 pounds and 2 inches off my waist and 2 inches off my abdomen in the past 3 weeks (when I started measuring). When I see my rheumatologist this Friday, I’m going to ask her about tapering off my MTX and Leukovorin. I feel the intermittent fasting (IF) and lchf eating has had more of a positive impact on my PsA than the meds have.
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Don’t think of it as fasting. Think of it as being selective about when you eat and then eat in a defined window (e.g., between 2pm and 8pm, or between 10am and 4pm) with no snacking in between. The Obesity Code book cites many studies that show this type of eating approach (focusing on the When you eat) can improve insulin levels and reverse metabolic syndrome.
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I see. I do not disagree that fasting in relation to sugar levels could be helpful. I was referring to psa. I am type 2 and found that just eating non processed food with green vegetables is helpful in general for the body. I can do carbs as long as it is balanced. I try to get in 3 a day and found the earlier that dinner occurs the better. Metformin works for me currently.
That’s how my husband interprets it. And, he also doesn’t get hungry during the 22 hours of not eating. He can drink coffee, tea and the bone broth. He calculates he’s eating about half the calories he used to eat, but still satisfied because he gets the meat and fat he sort of craves anyway. He avoids desserts, too.
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