The full fridge at home, snack bars, restaurants and sweet vending machines on the go - food is always available to us. However, the land of milk and honey is not an ideal place for us. In terms of evolutionary biology, we are programmed to "all-you-can-eat", so to speak, i.e. to make extensive use of every opportunity to eat. After all, who knows when the next time of hunger will come?

But when it did come, our ancestors were able to deal with it well - the ability to fast is naturally in our genes. For thousands of years, humans have survived food shortages during winter or drought months without any problems; the body simply switches to a different metabolic mode during times of hunger and then feeds itself from the inside out, so to speak. The changeover takes three days, during which time restlessness, tiredness, dizziness, headaches and muscle pain can still occur.

Metabolism on the back burner

The ketone metabolism then provides the so-called "fasting high". A clever move by nature, so that we remain efficient during periods of hunger and do not despair in our search for food. Digestive organs no longer send hunger hormones to the brain as soon as the intestines have nothing more to do. After 15 hours without food, the body begins to break down fat, which is when the first ketones are produced to supply the brain or heart with energy. These energy-rich by-products are formed when fatty acids are broken down in the liver. The process is known as ketogenesis. Ketones are considered the fountain of youth for the brain.

The National Institute of Aging, Baltimore, has proven this: Fasting promotes neurogenesis, i.e. the formation of new brain cells, which improves memory performance and can prevent dementia. Scientific surveys of patients have also shown that fasting has a mood-enhancing effect. There are reports of a deep break, a change in consciousness, the experience of self-efficacy and stress reduction. Many also speak of extraordinary mental clarity.

Fasting on the rise again

In the meantime, fasting was considered by many to be a useless, if not dangerous, cure, but now more and more scientists are researching fasting and its effects on people. The results are inspiring: "If we were to research a drug that is as potent as fasting, our phones would never stop ringing," says Andreas Michalsen, Head of Integrative Medicine at Charité in Berlin, in an interview with Geo. According to the Ärztegesellschaft Heilfasten und Ernährung e.V., positive effects have been observed for diabetes, high blood pressure, joint problems, migraines and irritable bowel syndrome, among others. At the Immanuel Hospital in Berlin, research is also being carried out into the effects of fasting on the body, particularly for complaints such as chronic pain, rheumatism, obesity with high blood pressure and/or an imbalance in sugar levels. Further positive results have been achieved with multiple sclerosis, asthma, neurodermatitis, allergies, gastrointestinal diseases and type 2 diabetes.

Miracle weapon for health

What happens during fasting? It inhibits inflammation, the level of C-reactive protein decreases, which is an inflammatory marker that rises during infections and tissue damage. Yale University has shown that a ketone compound produced during fasting acts like a fire extinguisher on inflammation. Rheumatics therefore benefit particularly from fasting. Patients with high blood pressure also benefit greatly; it is said to fall even more during fasting than with beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors. During fasting, so-called micro-waste is recycled in the cells, such as proteins that are deformed like balls. This process in the body begins when insulin is no longer circulating in the body, i.e. when the body is fasting.

What needs to be considered?

Before you enthusiastically start fasting, you should discuss with your doctor whether you are allowed to fast. In general, pregnant women, nursing mothers, children, very old people, people taking medication and/or suffering from eating disorders, type 1 diabetes, kidney disease, low blood pressure, metabolic disorders or chronic illnesses should not fast.

If nothing speaks against fasting for you, take the plunge, embark on the adventure and experience how much can come from nothing. You also decide whether and how you want to use GSE food supplements during the fasting period to support your normal bodily functions.

Methods:

Therapeutic fasting according to Buchinger:

5 days to 3 weeks
Only liquid food twice a day (a quarter of a liter of vegetable broth, juice, herbal tea, water)

Intermittent fasting:

Do not eat for 16 hours
Or fast 2 days a week

Further background information and practical fasting instructions:
Geo, 03/16, Fasting- "Why wise renunciation is the best medicine", p. 30-45
"Wie neugeboren durch Fasten" by Dr. med Hellmut Lützner, Gräfe & Unzer, Munich 2004