Fasting - Myth vs Fact

Is fasting superstitious? or an over hyped custom? 


What science has to say about fasting?

Before knowing science lets get acquainted to our body principles and its working culture. Just like how we human expect a day off after a long week, vacation for a month after a year. As widely believed, that such break rejuvenates for the next cycle. Our body also requires a break, our body is made up of modular machines each having its role to function as a whole. Digestive system plays producer role, cells as consumers, blood as transporters, intestine and bladder as garbage collectors and so on. They work 24/7, 365 days a year.  Just like us, our internal organs also requires vacation, to detoxify the toxic contents. Fasting helps in detoxification and gives break, to the internal organs.

As per scientific studies, fasting has following health benefits, not limited too.

1) Regulates blood sugar control by reducing Insulin Resistance
2) Fights inflammation and promotes health
3) Controls BP, Triglycerides and Cholesterol levels promoting Heart health
4) Boost Brain Function and helps in preventing Neurodegenerative disorders
5) Weight Loss and Boosting metabolism
6) Increased Growth Hormone secretion
7) Could delay ageing and Extend Longevity (Junk DNA)
8) Aid in Cancer Prevention and increase effectiveness in Chemotherapy.

Fasting can be classified into three types
1) Dry Fasting (No Food or Liquids (Including Water))
2) Water or Juice only (Denounce any solid foods)
3) Fruits Only (Denounce all except fruits or specific fruits)

What spirituality has to say about fasting?

All most all beliefs and faith, encourage fasting, in-fact insist on fasting, some go to the extent of punishing, for non-adherence. Islam believes in a month fasting, during the holy month Ramadan (once in a year as per Islamic Calendar), they follow Dry fast during daytime. Christians too adhere similar practice during their Lent Period. Water/Liquid fasting is also in practice with them. Sanatana, covers all types of fasting along with its significance.

In Sanatana, just like its practice, fasting custom is also pluralistic in nature. They have a day, a week, 10 days, two week, one month, 48 days, one year and many years fasting as well, and the cycle also differs like, once in a week, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, half yearly and yearly.

Fasting in sanatana is not just food or water abstinence, it is a spiritual promiscuity. It is more about ostracising earthly pleasures and befriending heavenly ebullience. Santana, strictly believe that one cannot experience heavenly joyous without forbid-ing the earthly pleasures. Given all the pleasures, Food stands first, even sex stands after food. There was a study done by some American university, where they had two group, each locked in a room with full of porn movies, books and all. One group was given sufficient food and other group was left to starve or with minimal food.  The study results were surprising, the group with sumptuous food, had shown interest in sex, where as other group complete disinterest.  Another example, Diet Plans. We all know how diet plans work, given that, we can understand, that food is an irresistible pleasure. Which all faiths, try to overcome, and all prescribe fasting as a tool. 

In Patanjali Yoga sutra, fasting custom is defined as follows

1) For all and any time meat eaters (Tamasic) --  Should fast (Dry) for one month (30 days), starting before sunrise and break  post sunset. And this is exactly what Abrahamic religions follows very rigidly. For Sanatana followers, it would be Purattasi, Margali month depending upon their practice. 

2) For Non or Occasional Meat eaters (Satvic/Rajasic) -- Should fast once in 15 days for 1 - 2 days. Saivates do Pradosha fasting and Vishnavites do Ekadasi fasting, Sasti for Skandaites, Chaturthi for Ganathipathis and so on. Ekadasi fasting is termed as king of all fasting, probably because of its process, as the process includes pre-preparation to fasting. Pradosha and other fasting are followed for one day, where Ekadasi (11th day after Full/New moon day) is adhered for two days. On the first day (Dasami - 10th day after full/new moon day)  light meal is consumed, and on Ekadasi, Dry or Water only fasting is followed for the whole day, and break fast on next day (Duvadasi - 12th day) ideally with Amla followed by light meal. 

Scientists found that in a human DNA, there is a section, which has no information in it, they were baffled for a long time, trying to know its importance or mere existence, it has absolutely no information, and they termed it as JUNK DNA. Recent discovery as astonished them, as they found that during mitosis (Cell division), that this JUNK DNA is lost a little bit, and its keep losing itself on every mitosis, thus reducing the life tenure. From this they found that to increase the longevity, the loss of JUNK DNA need to be reduced, in order to reduce the loss of this, mitosis process need to be reduced, as frequent divisions lead to more loss of JUNK DNA. Researchers found that mitosis process can be controlled if calorie intake is reduced.

Scientists carried out an experiment, they formed a group, and made them to undergo strict diet plan, for 15 days or so, and monitored there mitosis process, the study results were as expected, there is reduction in JUNK DNA loss, however, there was a problem, the group was heavily fatigued. Later they found a 1-2 day biweekly, dry fasting is giving exactly the same results as strict diet plan process and the best part is, subjects are not fatigued.

Sanatana, have no rigid rules towards fasting, it allows all three type os fasting, you could see in the same family one following Dry fasting where as other Water/Liquid fasting and other Fruits only fasting and so on. All these fasting are beneficial and helps in detoxification.  Say for ex, Water only fasting, helps in detoxifying intestines and bladders, fruit juices in addition to water, helps in blood purification, and fibres  in fruits help in digestive system and so on. 

Is fasting a remedy?
May be or May be not, It is like asking is Smoking creates Cancer? Most of my friends, relatives and Colleagues are smokers, many of them are chain smokers indeed. Fortunately, I never came across any cancer patient. Does it mean, Smoking does not create cancer? Similarly, Fasting has health benefits, but it needs support from other factors as well, like Food habits, life style and all. As said in Sanatana Dharma, just fasting doesn't lead to moksha or blessing from lord,  sanatana proscribes such fasting. Fasting is a first step, to spiritual consciousness. Similarly fasting gives medical and health benefits, provided proper lifestyle and food habits support it, moreover it is one of the cheap and effective way to detoxify internal organs.


REF:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/health-and-fitness/know-how-the-latest-nobel-winning-study-on-self-destroying-cells-benefits-you/story-AK1Bqtk0NR6iZw51q0PUMO.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/20/science-diet-fasting-may-be-more-important-than-just-eating-less.html
https://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/12/11/neuroscientist-shows-what-fasting-does-to-your-brain-why-big-pharma-wont-study-it/
http://www.primalsapien.com/how-to-repair-your-body-with-fasting/