What does a 24 hour fast do to our body?

Yom Kippur fasting is not intended for detoxification (at least the physical ones) or weight loss, and yet - in 24 hours without food or drink, our body undergoes some interesting processes.

Dr. Liora Barzag Pero explains

Dr. Liora Barzeg Peru

04/10/2022

Tuesday, 04 October 2022, 07:16 Updated: 07:37

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share by email

• Share in general

• Comments

  Comments

Palm dehydration exercise (Walla system!)

Those who choose to fast on Yom Kippur usually do not do so because of the health benefits of fasting.

On the contrary, he does it despite the difficult feeling that accompanies a long day without food and drink.

Still, while our heads and hearts are engaged in mental calculation (we hope), our bodies go through a challenging struggle on this day, so we decided to check what exactly happens to us while fasting.

First, let's clarify that although most of us normally feel dependent on food, our body is built to deal with situations of hunger as well.

It does depend on factors such as body weight, genetic load, health status and whether the body is dehydrated or not, but overall - our body knows how to switch to metabolic processes that help save energy and use alternative energy reserves during fasting.

Thus, after the cells finish consuming the available sugar found in the blood (and remaining there thanks to the interrupted meal) the body begins to use alternative sources of energy.

The first sources are the liver and muscles, where sugar is stored in the form of glycogen.

The body can break down the glycogen into glucose, which the cells can use to produce available energy.

The store of glycogen is not the same among all people, but on average it can be enough for about 24 hours.

After the "elimination" of the glycogen stores, most cells begin to produce energy by burning fatty acids that come from the body's fat reserves.

What does our body gain from 24 hours of fasting?

Many studies have shown that short fasting balances blood sugar control, especially in people at risk of diabetes.

When the fast is longer and takes place alternately (yes day/no day, for example) you can even see an improvement in insulin resistance, and thus there is an improvement in the transfer of sugar from the blood into the cells that need it.

In addition, fasting helps to balance the metabolism and maintain an optimal body weight, thanks to helping to reduce fat mass and at the same time maintaining muscle mass.

At the same time, fasting causes the secretion of growth hormone, since it is a feedback mechanism - a decrease in sugars results in the secretion of the hormone.

This hormone plays an important role in metabolism, growth, weight loss and muscle strength.

More in Walla!

Does an intermittent fasting diet really work?

We checked

To the full article

Fasting also helps to deal with inflammatory conditions.

There are many situations in the body in which acute inflammation develops, especially when the body has to fight infections.

Chronic (persistent) inflammation can lead to serious physical conditions, such as heart disease, arthritis and even cancer.

Studies show that following fasting there is a decrease in the blood of proteins that are linked to inflammation.

Fasting balances blood sugar control.

A plate in the shape of a clock (Photo: ShutterStock)

Fasting can also benefit heart health, by reducing sugars, fats and blood pressure.

A very large study in which over 4,000 people participated showed that fasting results in a significant reduction in coronary artery disease (those that supply blood to the heart itself) which are actually a risk factor for heart disease.

Studies have found that fasting even has an effect on brain health.

Prolonged intermittent fasting has shown excellent results in studies, in the regeneration of nerve cells, cognitive function and protection against diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Fasting can also delay aging and extend life span.

A study conducted on rats showed that rats that fasted lived longer and healthier lives.

A similar study has not yet been conducted on humans, so its results are limited.

Despite the list of benefits of fasting, it is probably not suitable for everyone.

People who suffer from diabetes may experience hypoglycemic events (a drop in blood sugar) that may endanger them.

Fasting may endanger both elderly people, children and teenagers as well as people who are underweight.

One of the significant dangers is dehydration - every year we hear about people who have arrived at hospitals during the fast.

Therefore, it is important to drink well before the fast, and stay in a cool and pleasant environment as much as possible.

• health

• my health

• Doctor, what have I got?

Tags

• fast

• Yom Kippur

• Yom Kippur

• Dehydration