What Does Prolonged Fasting Do to the Body?
Recommendations to try water-only fasting diets may be filling up your social media feeds, but researchers are warning people to seek medical advice before starting these diets, because of the potential negative impacts.
An international team of researchers has published a new study analyzing the effects of water-only fasting diets on 20 people over the course of 10 days (so nothing except water – not even other drinks). The participants lost an average of 7.7 percent of their body weight, but also experienced side effects including headaches, insomnia, and low blood pressure. Overall, fasting seemed to increase inflammation and put more stress on the body, which can then lead to numerous complications with health – especially for those with existing heart or vascular conditions.
“Our hypothesis was that prolonged water-fasting would reduce inflammation in the body,” says physician scientist Luigi Fontana, from the University of Sydney. “However, we found the opposite was true – that prolonged fasting put stress on the body and increased the number of pro-inflammatory proteins in the blood, potentially increasing the risk of health issues for people with existing heart and vascular conditions.”
Excerpted from Health Alert
