Fasting has some implications, whether you are doing it to lose weight, for religious purposes, or just trying to stay healthy. Fasting has been practiced for centuries by people from different corners of the world, and some recent studies (research) have revealed interesting medical usefulness of fasting.

Fasting and weight loss

It is no longer news that people claim that they are able to lose weight by merely fasting. Celebrities, like Beyonce, are promoting it on televisions and social media. While it is not totally untrue, fasting has always been considered as not the most viable tool for losing weight. What you lose is the fluid in your body when you fast. And once it is replenished, your weight is likely going to be the same as it was before you fasted.

Here are some other concerns about using fasting to lose weight:

• Fasting tends to slow down your metabolic rate, and this could make the food you ate before fasting to be, unexpectedly, fattening
• If you have kidney or liver problems, fasting could lead to some complications because your immune system has been hindered
• If you are on medications, it may not be a good idea for you to fast
• So, it may be not a good idea to use fasting to detox or do colon cleansing–you are inadvertently removing good and bad bacteria from your body by doing so

Medical benefits of fasting

Even though the majority of people who fast do so for spiritual or religious reasons, there are some medical benefits associated with fasting.

• Fasting, when combined with the right amount of diet before and afterward, has been used to treat diseases such as arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, eczema, and other diseases
• Fasting is often recommended pre-surgery to help patients digest food under anesthesia when the metabolism is very slow
• Some medical tests, for examples, testing for cholesterol and blood sugar levels, require fasting in order to obtain accurate readings
• Eating a vegetarian diet after fasting can improve one’s immune system
• Some people have successfully used fasting to fight some psychological problem such as stress and depression
• Fasting, done occasionally, can prolong one’s life as it keeps diseases at bay

Is fasting for everyone?

No. If you fall under any of the categories of people below, it is advisable that you should totally avoid fasting. Or you may decide to do it under close medical supervision.

• Pregnant women
• People with a history of cardiac arrhythmias
• People with hepatic and renal insufficiency
• People with malnutrition or wasting diseases