Three surprising health benefits of intermittent fasting
These three health reasons will encourage you to go on a fast.
Fasting, the act of refraining from eating food for a specific period, is common among religious people, but it has also become popular with non-believers over the years.
This is because of the many benefits it comes with.
Anyone who has engaged in a fast can attest to the fact that it is not easy. The body is so used to food that when you starve it for a few hours or days, it complains.
Many religious people do it for the upliftment of the soul, and to devote themselves to God.
Most Christians engage in different kinds of fasts in the month of January to dedicate their first days of the year to God, while Muslims fast in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar for 30 days between sunrise to sunset.
Although intermittent fasting does wonders for one's spiritual life, it has also been proven to have a lot of health benefits.
- It helps in weight loss
It's a no brainer - the less food you eat, the less calories you take in, the more you increase your chances of losing weight!
Food is what helps the body get energy, but when one does not eat, the body starts to burn the unwanted stored fat as its source of energy and the burned fat results in weight-loss.
The blood levels of insulin also drop significantly during a fast, causing you to lose weight.
- It can eliminate diseases
Being overweight or obese can result in heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even stroke.
So when you fast and you lose unwanted stored up fat, you can prevent diseases that could otherwise be caused by being overweight.
-Intermittent fasting helps repair cells
When you fast, the body repairs your cells by removing waste material from cells. This will protect you from diseases such as cancer.
Fasting also helps increase the growth of new nerve cells.
Other studies have also found that fasting can help pro-long your life.
So go right ahead and fast, but CAUTION - before you engage in a fast, speak to your doctor to avoid causing health complications.
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