Fasting for three days can regenerate entire immune system, study finds

indeed.

a simple and effective cleanse for beginners is the Edgar Cayce Apple Cleanse, recommended through one of his readings or writings.


Cayce Apple Cleanse


One&ALL

a reply to: BlueMule

2 days is not long enough, food is still in your digestive tract and so body won't go into ketosis. But there are benefits to doing the 5+2 fast where 5 days you eat normally and for 2 of those days you reduce your intake to the bare minimum.

A gentleman from the BBC Panorama program which is a very factual program one of the best the BBC have produced decided to go around and try the different fasting programs and he found the 5+2 the easier and effective.

BBC Panaroma - East, Fast & Live Longer

Also put in the juice fast video that inspired me to look into the various methods of fasting and it's an amazing story so please everyone watch this one at least, it's very heartwarming and factual.

I've done 3 day juice cleanses and feel fantastic afterwards. When I tried to eat my regular diet afterwards, I found that the foods I used to crave like carbs and sweets didn't appeal to me as much and in fact, I felt lousy trying to digest them so my diet now is much healthier than it used to be. I juice vegetables with an inexpensive juicer that works just fine and only add an apple or pear to sweeten it up. I drink 3 or 4 of these a day when I'm on a cleanse and juice at least once a day regularly. One bonus that I wasn't expecting was that joints that had started to ache over the last few years have completely settled down, I haven't had any flare ups in quite a long time.
I think not only would we all be better off adopting a healthier diet, it would be a big middle finger salute to pharma and peddlers of toxic fast foods!
For anyone wanting a little more information on how to best try it, here is a link to get you started.

originally posted by: violet
I'm not sure if this would work.
I'm always fasting ( not by choice) can't say it's helped me. For one it gives me a killer migraine. I get dizzy, vomit or faint. Can't concentrate.

You do vomit around the 3rd day, and what is happening is that your body is getting rid of all the toxins and this is the way it does it. You will feel bad for a little bit and after the toxins are out you will feel a lot better. As for migraines? I never experienced migraines during fasting and I think it might be wise to check with your doctor on that because your body might be trying to tell you "hey bud, something is wrong here".

a reply to: Barcs

Fasting for 2 weeks is excessive imo. More so if you are working, or go to school. Even fasting for an entire week is probably a bad idea for most people. I have tried other forms of fasting such as drinking only juices like apple juice, orange juice, etc. Of course it is best if you use the good stuff and not "SunnyD", it would even be better if you make the juice yourself from apples and oranges which is easy.

The thing is when you are fasting with any type of juice you don't release the toxins as if you were doing water fasting, so if what you are trying to do is get rid of the build up of toxins then water fasting is what you want to do.

originally posted by: ElectricUniverse
The thing is when you are fasting with any type of juice you don't release the toxins as if you were doing water fasting

Is there research to support this claim?

Went to see my GP today (I have a back injury) and guess what she recommended? Fasting for two days per week with an intake of no more than 600 calories per day on those days. This is to help me slowly lose a little weight I have put on due to inactivity. She also said that after a while I may stop losing the weight and at that time I could increase to three days if required. She went on to explain the benefits of fasting describing it as a routine service or checkup for my body, funny as I was just reading this thread last night. There were no limitations on what foods I could eat as long as I stick to the 600 calories. Going to give it a shot as I have nothing to lose, oh well maybe a little around the waist. ;P

Edit: Was just reading the last few posts and thought I would mention that I was told to steer away from juices as some fruit has a lot of calories. It would be more beneficial for me to drink water whilst fasting.
I was told to look up this guy and have a read about the Fast diet.
Michael Mosley

Anyone wanting good solid info on water fasting subscribe to this youtube channel as he runs a fasting sanctuary and has lots of excellent advice and case studies using patients to his retreat.

Loren Lockman

a reply to: strongfp

I don't understand how this answered anything... What exactly are you getting at here?

a reply to: DevolutionEvolvd

I think his post is pretty spot on, not sure what you are missing in his post it's pretty coherent and to the point.

The fact is humans fasted all the time, now that food is on-demand we no longer fast and we have big pharma to treat all "symptoms" that's why there is a rise in cancer, ibs etc.. That's pretty much what he was saying.

The reason we have this body state Ketosis is because as hunter gatherers during winter periods we would go without food for periods of time because of the lack of plants in winter.

Most animals fast when they are ill because it helps repair the body. If you have a pet and he stops eating, never force feed them just make sure plenty water is available.

originally posted by: mclarenmp4
a reply to: DevolutionEvolvd

We really don't need as much food as we think we do, after my water fast my whole thoughts on eating have changed dramatically. A lot of the problem is that people assume when they get what they think are hunger pangs but are actually dehydration pangs. The amount of water in the food satisfies the thirst and so they continue to believe that these hunger pangs can only be solved by eating.
True hunger is felt in the throat not the stomach.

You can say these things, but they're not validated by any means other than anecdotes. We can 'think' we need this or that much food, but we 'know' the difference between a negative and positive caloric balance.

There is also a lot of uncontrolled candida in people's gut because of overuse of antibiotics and people not repopulating their gut with pro and pre biotics. This causes the candida to take control of your stomach and it wants sugar, sugar, sugar so people feed the beast within them. I was doing this for years and after all the research it is widely believed about 60% of the populace have the fungal form of the yeast which hooks onto your stomach and eventually cause toxins to enter from your stomach into your bloodstream, called leaky gut syndrome.
This is what caused me to have anxiety, panic attacks and agoraphobia and even though I had been to my doctor for a whole host of sometimes quite serious yeast problems that were seemingly unrelated but were actually all related. My body was crawling with them and still is after a year of detox. I think the condition started almost 20 years ago and it was the water fast that brought the candida out and allowed me to identify my issue.
I suffered from Angular Chelitis/stomatis which is where the sides of your mouth crack and sores open, look similar to cold sores but not contagious. Now this condition there is no known treatment for it, there are plenty home remedy type things on the web but they never worked. It was so sore just opening my mouth to speak. But the 2 causes they believe are that it's a yeast infection or an iron deficiency and I had plenty of iron in my diet but there is no oral yeast treatment that can be prescribed. So I thought I would try Canesten Hydrocortisol the steroidal and yeast treatment. Well that worked perfectly, as soon as I feel a tingle at the side of my mouth I apply a little of the Canesten and it doesn't start to crack. I can't tell them the real reason I buy it as it's not meant to be used internally but the little that is needed and is more outside the mouth anyway.
So on day 3 when my body changed over into it's repair mode ketosis I looked in the mirror and found that where the condition was at the sides of my mouth there was this white powdery substance and my mouth felt great. So I went to pee and while peeing I start to see lots and lots of these things floating about in my urine and I was like woah what the hell is this, so I checked out a forum on water fasting I was on and several people also had the same and they informed me it was Candida die off.
By the end of the week i was a new man, I was free of all anxiety, panic, fear all of it gone after having that for 20 years. Wow it was life changing.
So after doing lots and lots of research on candida I have came over a regime that works for me and my next water fast I am hoping will be enough for the rest of the crap in my body to go.

Sorry for the TLDR post but I thought I would add my full experience of how water fasting changed my life.

That's great for you! But you still have yet to address my initial post. Studies have shown calorie restriction doesn't work to increase lifespan in primates. And, if calorie restriction helps reduce incidence of disease, then it's important to know via what process.

a reply to: DenyObfuscation

Dr. Michael Eades.

a reply to: kkrattiger

And this is the point I was trying to make when asking what the process is that drives positive change when fasting. Is it simply a negative caloric balance? Or is it something else. Metabolically, ketosis and fasting are very, very similar. Thanks for the post.

a reply to: mclarenmp4

The post didn't address the points I was making. I'll post them again:

1. Juice fasting is not a true fast. Calories are still consumed. And It's an overconsumption of sugars.

2. While caloric restriction in smaller organisms has seen amazing lifespan increases, it's yet to be demonstrated in larger organisms more applicable to humans. In fact, primates don't benefit from caloric restriction as it pertains to lifespan.

3. If caloric restriction does help with disease prevention, it's important to find the mechanism or process by the prevention occurs. Simply saying that we weren't meant to eat so much food is an oversimplification. Many cultures have lived in abundance yet experienced little to no disease.

Remember, restricting calories also restricts carbohydrates. And since low-carb/ketogenic diets have similar effects of fasting, it's worth entertaining the question to find out which mechanism is involved.

originally posted by: [post=18026954]Arbitrageur
Is there research to support this claim?

I am talking more from experience and common sense. When you drink apple juice, orange juice etc your body is absorbing nutrients and calories so your body would not be forced to use your reserves, fat and accumulated toxins throughout your body, as much as if you were water fasting.

When you are water fasting your body is not getting as many nutrients from water, and there is no calorie intake so your body is forced to use the reserves it has, you will also lose some muscle if you water fast for extended periods of time, and alongside the reserves used your body will also get rid of a higher amount of toxins accumulated over the years, or even decades.

originally posted by: ElectricUniverse
a reply to: Barcs

Fasting for 2 weeks is excessive imo. More so if you are working, or go to school. Even fasting for an entire week is probably a bad idea for most people. I have tried other forms of fasting such as drinking only juices like apple juice, orange juice, etc. Of course it is best if you use the good stuff and not "SunnyD", it would even be better if you make the juice yourself from apples and oranges which is easy.

The thing is when you are fasting with any type of juice you don't release the toxins as if you were doing water fasting, so if what you are trying to do is get rid of the build up of toxins then water fasting is what you want to do.

I don't agree that a week is bad for most people or that 2 weeks is excessive IF DONE PROPERLY, but it depends on your goals, your metabolism, and your fat %. Some people fast to cleanse, some fast to heal, some do it just for weight loss (which is bad IMO). The 2 day fast idea is far worse for metabolism and can lead to anorexia and / or bulimia. I fast every year with no negative effects, usually going at least a week. It's never on a set schedule either. I just go until my body tells me to stop. Sometimes it's a week, sometimes it's 10 days, sometimes it's 14 days. I only water fast, I don't do the juices until I'm breaking it. Fasting past 3 days, not only gives your digestive system a rest, but also uses the extra energy to cleanse and heal your body much faster than normal. Ask anybody who has fasted after breaking a bone, or spraining a knee. It heals much faster with the extra energy.

Now again, it's different for everyone, if you don't have much fat or have a really high metabolism, you can't really fast that long. I hurt my knee running down hill, and it nagged me for nearly 8 months with virtually no improvement. I fasted, and the pain was almost completely gone in 2 weeks. Many people have misconceptions about what fasting is, so I was just trying to help advise folks on them. I don't like 2 day fasts or 1/2 religious fasts. They aren't really fasts. When you water fast, literally nothing aside from water should enter your system. Many people break this rule and then wonder why their experience was so bad, or binge eat to break the fast, negating all the positive benefits. The longest fast I have ever done was 2 weeks water and then 1 week juices & broths. After that 3rd week I felt better health wise than I ever have in my life prior to that point.

When you are water fasting your body is not getting as many nutrients from water, and there is no calorie intake so your body is forced to use the reserves it has, you will also lose some muscle if you water fast for extended periods of time, and alongside the reserves used your body will also get rid of a higher amount of toxins accumulated over the years, or even decades.

Just an FYI, you burn the most muscle during the first couple days of a fast. After your body enters ketosis, you burn primary fat. You may burn a small amount of muscle as well, but generally you don't really burn it noticeably until you run out of fat reserves. Loss of muscle is often the result of simply being inactive during the fast, not necessarily from burning it to survive.

originally posted by: ElectricUniverse
your body would not be forced to use your reserves, fat and accumulated toxins throughout your body, as much as if you were water fasting.

It's safe to say if you're getting less nutrients on a water fast you'll use up your reserves so I didn't need to see any source for that, it's the part about toxins which sounds like someone made up and posted on a website, and then people believe it because it's on the internet. Since you don't have a source I'll post this one:

Can fasting help purge the body of toxins?

a lot can be learned from taking a moment to investigate the body's own detoxification process. The human body is quite ingenious. It was designed to have two major pathways to eliminate harmful substances. First are the immune tissues of the intestinal tract, and second are the enzymes of the liver. Did you know that the intestinal tract generates about 70 percent of our antibodies? These little heroes attach themselves to many of the bacteria, toxins, and viruses that enter our bodies, inactivate them, and prevent many from being absorbed, helping to protect us against infection and illness.

Harmful substances that slip by the intestinal detoxification system are delivered to the liver. This second pathway has two detoxification phases: (1) various transformations occur preventing the perilous substances from creating harm to our bodies; (2) another series of reactions occur, causing these substances to become less toxic. They are then excreted from the body in urine and feces.

So, how does fasting influence the body's detoxification processes? Our nutritional status affects the body's ability to manufacture antibodies and enzymes, and the liver's ability to detoxify. Fasting deprives the body of the raw materials — sufficient calories, proteins, and certain vitamins and minerals — needed to make antibodies and enzymes. Eating keeps our immune system strong.

In addition, specific phytochemicals (naturally occurring plant chemicals in vegetables and fruits) assist in the detoxification pathways, including the following examples:

Indoles, found in broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and other cruciferous (cabbage family) vegetables, are helpful in the liver's first phase.

The liver's second phase is enhanced by isothiocyanates and dithiolthiones, also found in cruciferous vegetables, and by limonoids, found in citrus fruits. These phytochemicals help block carcinogens from damaging our cells' DNA (thereby protecting us against cancer). Compounds in garlic, onions, shallots, leeks, and the spice cumin also enhance phase two of the liver's detoxification system.

So, fasting does not boost the body's disposal system, or cleanse your body in a healthy way.

By the way that source agrees with the research that was cited in the OP that says fasting actually weakens the immune system, but a lot of attention-span challenged people who didn't read past the headline posting in this thread don't seem to acknowledge that fasting actually weakens the immune system. Yes the headline infers the opposite, but that's why it's misleading.

originally posted by: Rellix
Went to see my GP today (I have a back injury) and guess what she recommended? Fasting for two days per week with an intake of no more than 600 calories per day on those days.

That isn't a true fast. It is eating less, which also can be beneficial if you eat healthy. A fast means you completely abstain from solid foods. Eating less than 600 calories for 2 days out of the week is a diet. There is no such thing as a "fasting diet", that term is an oxymoron. Naturally we eat less when we are sick because less digestion does indeed give more energy to heal, however, so I can definitely agree with your doctor's recommendation. I would consider trying an extended fast if it does not help, but that's not really a fast.

a reply to: DevolutionEvolvd

1. I agree it's just a diet involving fruit.

2. Water fasting has nothing to do with caloric intake but removes the process of eating which consumes around 80% of the bodies energy, through jaw muscles, breaking down of food etc.. Water fasting gives that 80% back into doing what the body does best, repairing itself. Reducing caloric intake also will reduce the amount the body needs to process it thus giving more energy to repairing the body.

3. I see what you are getting at but I think you are simplifying it yourself. For example eskimo's lived off blubber for centuries and even though that meant their diet was highly fatty and produced high cholesterol, that same high cholesterol wasn't causing any heart disease in the same way it was in western countries. So why was this?
I suspect it was because the food they were consuming was natural and untouched by processing etc..
As soon as western culture came to the eskimo's so did the diet and guess what? Their life expectancy started to drop considerably
So i simply think the mechanism is that by eating less food we are using less of the body's energy and as such the body can use that time not having to process food to actually repair the body.

originally posted by: DevolutionEvolvd
a reply to: kkrattiger

And this is the point I was trying to make when asking what the process is that drives positive change when fasting. Is it simply a negative caloric balance? Or is it something else. Metabolically, ketosis and fasting are very, very similar. Thanks for the post.

Fasting causes ketosis, so they are very similar. The difference with fasting is that the energy normally used for digestion is used to heal and cleanse, where with Atkins diet (low carb, less than 20g a day causing ketosis) is more about the weight loss, rather than the cleansing and healing.