Fasting isn't just popular for weight loss; it also has a significant impact on the regeneration of the immune system. Discover how fasting can naturally improve your health.
Every day we see how science is making progress in uncovering the marvelous workings of the human body and the resources it possesses to regulate itself naturally, without the external intervention of chemical substances. These studies demonstrate how controlled fasting promotes the body’s ability to regulate itself in the creation of stem cells.
Short-term fasting seems to have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, and intermittent fasting is once again gaining popularity for reasons beyond just weight loss. So, what happens when we get used to going beyond intermittent fasting to prolonged fasting a couple of times a week?
(1) A study shows that fasting twice a week It could significantly reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. But new research has revealed another benefit of fasting or diets that mimic it. It appears that it can trigger stem cell regeneration, helping to initiate repair of the damaged immune system.
(2) The investigation revealed that “Fasting for three days can regenerate the entire immune system, even in the elderly.” It can be used on people whose immune systems have been weakened by chemotherapy, compromised by diseases such as multiple sclerosis, or simply weakened by aging.
The research presents the findings of two studies led by Professor Valter Longo of the USC Longevity Institute at the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at USC. How does the fasting-immune system connection work?
‘The stem cells get the ’OK” to move forward, begin proliferating, and rebuild the entire system," said Professor Longo....”And the good news is that during fasting, the body gets rid of the parts of the immune system that might be damaged or old—the inefficient parts. Now, if you start out with a system that’s severely damaged by chemotherapy or aging, fasting cycles can literally generate a new immune system.“.
(3) During prolonged fasting, the body is forced to use its glucose and fat reserves, but a significant portion of white blood cells is also broken down. This depletion “triggers the regeneration of stem cells that will create new immune system cells [2].”It essentially shifts stem cells “from an inactive state to a state of self-renewal.”"
Previous research had shown that “short-term” fasting quickly starves cancer cells and makes it easier for chemotherapy drugs to target the cancer more effectively.
(4) Another, more recent study showed that a low-calorie fasting diet can slow the progression of multiple sclerosis by killing harmful cells and promoting the growth of new, healthy ones.
So this could potentially be great news for chemotherapy patients, people with multiple sclerosis, and the elderly. Of course, fasting for long periods of time or following a diet that includes fasting is always something that should be approached with caution and under the guidance of an appropriate healthcare professional. Longo’s studies et al. He used specific fasting diet protocols to achieve his results.
Even so, some very interesting findings have emerged from their research into how the body reacts to fasting or rapid fasting diet protocols.
- (5) A study examined mice with autoimmune diseases that were subjected to a three-day fast every seven days. The study showed increased levels of corticosterone (a steroid hormone), a reduction in cytokines that cause inflammation, and improvements in white blood cells responsible for immunity.
- (5) They also found that the fasting diet protocol promoted the regeneration of myelin that had been damaged by autoimmunity
- (6) The fasting-mimicking diet also resulted in improved metabolism and cognitive function, reduced bone loss and cancer incidence, and increased longevity.
- (6) They found that, in humans who followed the fasting-mimicking diet with the prescribed frequency, it reduced multiple risk factors for aging.
- (7) Prolonged fasting cycles reduce damage to bone marrow stem cells and progenitor cells and protect against chemotoxicity.
- (7) Prolonged fasting cycles regulate stem cell populations, regardless of chemotherapy, and help reverse immunosuppression; they also have a significant impact on hematopoietic regeneration.
So there you have it! There are certainly more reasons for fasting than meet the eye. The full studies can be found using the following references:
Research References: Fasting Triggers Regeneration
(1) Walia, A (2015), “Neuroscientist Shows What Fasting Does to Your Brain,” Evolución Collective, http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/12/11/neuroscientist-shows-what-fasting- hace-a-su-cerebro-qué-big-Pharma-wont-estudio-it / Retrieved March 21, 2016
(2) Knapton, S (2014) “A three-day fast can regenerate the entire immune system, study finds,” The Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/03/12/fasting-for -three-days-can-regenerate-the-entire-immune-system-study / Retrieved April 4, 2017
(3) Wu, S (2014), “Fasting Triggers Regeneration of Damaged Immune System Cells, Old Stem Cells” from the University of Southern California News, https://news.usc.edu/63669/fasting-triggers-stem-cell-regeneration -age-related-immune-system-damage / Retrieved April 4, 2017
(4) Gersema, E. (2016), “Fasting Diet: How It Affects the Immune System in the Fight Against Cancer,”, University of Southern California News, https://news.usc.edu/103972/fasting-like-diet-turns-the- immune-system-against-cancer / Retrieved April 4, 2017
[5] Gersema, E. (2016), “A fasting-mimicking diet may also reduce the symptoms of multiple sclerosis,”, University of Southern California News, https://news.usc.edu/101187/diet-that-mimics-fasting-may- also-reduce-multiple-sclerosis-symptoms / retrieved April 4, 2017
(6) Cheng, C.-W., Adams, GB, Perin, L., Wei, M., Zhou, X., Lam, BS, … Longo, VD (2014). Prolonged fasting reduces IGF-1/PKA to promote hematopoietic stem cell-based regeneration and reverse immunosuppression. Cell Stem Cell, 14 (6), 810–823. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2014.04.014
(7) Brandhorst S, Choi I, Wei M, Cheng C, Sedrakyan S, Navarrete G, Dubeau L, Yap L, Parque R, Vinciguerra M, Di Biase S, Mirzaei H, Mirisola M, Childress P, Ji L, Groshen S, Penna F, Odetti P, Perin L, Conti P, Ikeno Y, Kennedy B, Cohen P, Morgan T, Dorff T, and Longo V (2015), “A periodic fasting-mimicking diet promotes the regeneration of multiple systems, improving cognitive performance and healthspan,” Cell Metabolism,http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/pdfExtended/S1550-4131(15)00224-7 retrieved April 4, 2017
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