Fasting has been gaining popularity for years.
Many people forego alcohol between Ash Wednesday and Easter.
It's not just good for the body.
Traditionally,
Lent
begins
on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Vigil.
A large number of those fasting abstain from
alcohol
during this period
.
Even a short break from alcohol has a major effect on the
body
.
Frankfurt - After work, a beer or a red or white wine with your meal.
Even without parties and celebrations,
alcohol
consumption can
quickly become a habit,
even in times of the
corona pandemic
.
In recent years, more and more people have used the time between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday to forego alcoholic beverages and to
fast
.
It is amazing how much
your health
and
body
can benefit from a month of fasting.
A survey by the social research company Forsa shows that more and more people have been
fasting
in recent years
.
A trend is developing in this country among younger people in particular to forego certain products or consumer goods for several weeks.
Since 2012, the number of people fasting has increased by 15 percent to 59 percent.
Health: Fasting for body and mind - abstinence from alcohol is very popular
Abandoning the use of technical devices such as smartphones or televisions is particularly popular.
But also the classic waiver
on sugar and sweets, meat or even
alcohol
.
Many people in Germany use the time after Carnival to eat better and to do something for their
health
and their
bodies
, as the Forsa survey on behalf of the health insurance company DAK shows.
73 percent of the 1005 respondents said they
wanted to avoid alcoholic beverages
while
fasting
.
What people want to do without in Lent 2021 |
Share of almost 1,000 respondents |
|---|---|
alcohol |
73 percent |
Sweets |
68 percent |
flesh |
54 percent |
Smoke |
45 percent |
watch TV |
39 percent |
Smartphone, cell phone, computer |
24 percent |
automobile |
24 percent |
Source: dak.de |
The addiction doctor Damon Raskin from
Los Angeles
in the US state of California also considers abstaining from
alcohol
for
several weeks
as a “good idea”, as reported by the magazine “menshealth.de”.
Fasting is
particularly worthwhile for people who otherwise consume more than the recommended amount of alcohol
.
The World Health Organization recommends a maximum of 24 grams of alcohol per day for men, i.e. two small glasses of beer (0.6 liters).
The recommended daily dose of pure alcohol for women is only twelve grams.
Fasting: A study shows how abstaining from alcohol affects the body
A survey by the University of Sussex in Brighton, UK, shows
how great the effects of a break from alcohol are on
health
and the
body
.
Participants in the study who
abstained
from
alcohol
for an entire month were
asked about their well-being.
71 percent of those surveyed said they slept better during the fasting period.
After consuming alcohol, sleep is more restless and less restful.
According to "menshealth.de" this is due to increased alpha wave activity in the brain.
Without previous alcohol consumption, the test subjects reached a deeper, more restful sleep phase inside.
Result: You wake up in a better mood and more energetic, and you are also more productive.
And without a nasty hangover.
+
The time of renunciation begins.
Many people abstain from alcohol during Lent.
The effect on the body is tough.
(Symbol image)
© Uwe Zucchi / dpa
With 54 percent of those surveyed, more than one in two said they
had a better complexion
after
fasting
.
This is due to the diuretic effects of drinking alcohol.
This prevents the
body from
storing water.
The
skin
becomes drier, wrinkles and redness can appear.
Fasting is good for health: Many people lose weight by giving up alcohol
In addition, 58 percent of the participants stated that they had lost weight during the study period.
Because alcoholic beverages such as beer or wine often have more calories than expected.
Scientists at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of public health in Baltimore,
USA,
suggest that men averaged around 433 additional calories per day from consuming
alcohol
.
But caution is advised: Just like sugar,
alcohol
also addresses
the reward center in the brain.
“Taking a break from alcohol can be a challenge at first,” confirms expert Damon Raskin.
It is important to stick to any food cravings or the desire for sugary drinks *.
The positive effects of the alcohol break on
health
are then undisputed.
Fasting
spares
many organs
such as the liver, which helps break down alcohol in the body.
It also reduces the risk of cancer and strengthens the immune system.
Avoiding alcohol: Fasting not only helps the body
The head of the Federal Center for Health Education, Heidrun M. Thaiss, confirms this to the “Business Insider” portal: “Refraining from alcohol for a while is good for body and soul and can be an important experience that can change in the long term Dealing with
alcohol
contributes. ”In addition, 82 percent of the participants in the survey by the University of Sussex said that they had become more aware of their own drinking behavior through the one-month
fast
.
Alcohol consumption is always a
health risk
and harmful to all organs, according to Thaiss.
“It is a general cytotoxin.” The fasting month
therefore
helps the
body
to recover from the cytotoxin and to regenerate.
According to Thaiss,
how great the effect of
fasting is
on the
health of
individuals also depends on how much and how often
alcohol
was
previously
consumed.
“The positive effects are therefore individually different, but they can usually be felt after about 14 days,” says Thaiss.
Alcohol fasting is also easy on the wallet
The one-month
fast
had other positive side effects for the test subjects in the Brighton survey.
93 percent felt good and were proud to have achieved their goal.
70 percent said they had generally improved
health
after the month of fasting
.
But the alcohol break was not only good for body and mind.
Also for the wallet.
88 percent of those surveyed said they had
saved money
during the month without
alcohol
.
(Yannick Wenig)
* fr.de is part of the nationwide Ippen digital editorial network.
List of rubric lists: © Christoph Soeder / dpa
