From evolution to cancer research: why fasting is more than just a trend
Is fasting dangerous? Do you lose muscle mass? These myths persist, but science proves otherwise! In this episode, I dive deep into the topic of fasting, dispel misconceptions and explain the revolutionary health benefits of fasting.
What to expect in this episode:
✅ Why fasting is NOT dangerous and what the science says
✅ Autophagy: How your body heals itself through fasting
✅ The metabolic switch: Switching from sugar to fat burning
✅ What does the research say? The latest studies on therapeutic fasting
✅ Intermittent fasting as a long-term solution for health & well-being
Sylvie Gilman and Thierry Lestrade, the makers of the successful documentary "Healing and Fasting", have made another film in 2023 to explore the mechanisms, promises and limitations of fasting based on the latest scientific findings.
"Our genetic programming is that we are at our best when we fast - eat - fast - eat. This is the survival program of evolution."Andreas Michalsen Charité
For around 10 years, more and more scientists have been researching the healing effects of fasting and discovering previously unknown mechanisms in our bodies. They are combating chronic diseases that were previously considered irreversible, slowing down the ageing process and revolutionizing our understanding of biorhythms
ValterLongo: fasting research has made huge progress in the last 10 years thanks to numerous randomized clinical trials.
The Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinic in Überlingen is intensively involved in scientific research into therapeutic fasting. Its research department regularly conducts studies to investigate the effectiveness and health benefits of fasting.
The effect on fatty liver is particularly remarkable, because according to conventional medicine, there is no cure for it because there is no medication!
After around 12 hours of food deprivation, stress occurs which triggers several adaptation mechanisms
The first reinforces an important function of our cells: autophagy, which literally means "self-consumption". In order to continue functioning without a supply of nutrients, our cells start a recycling process.
Like the forest, we humans are an ecosystem. It's about energy, about recycling, if I want to make a fire, then I need wood. Energy is created. Just as you look for old, dry wood to make a fire, our cells select their damaged, older components and recycle them, using the energy to build new structures. This removes waste and cellular debris that cause inflammation and promote chronic diseases.
The Japanese Yoshinori Ohsumi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2016 for his discovery of the genes that control autophagy.
The most powerful and strongest method of boosting autophagy is fasting. This recycling, this energy, It is a major intervention in our organism, it is like an operation without a knife! (Andreas Michalsen)
And that's why many illnesses are improved by fasting.
Another evolutionary mechanism is the metabolic switch
The body's main fuel is glucose. It is stored as glycogen and is used up after 24 hours of fasting. The body then draws on its fat reserves. The liver converts the fat into another fuel, known as ketones. And these provide the brain and muscles with energy. Ketones can be compared to a super fuel such as Formula 1 fuel, whereas glucose would be more like diesel.
Eric Verdin, head of the Buck Institute, which is dedicated to research into longevity, has carried out studies with mice and found that mice that are regularly in ketosis have better memory, even in old age.
"Traditionally, ketones are thought of as fuel that cells use during fasting. We were able to show that ketones are signaling molecules that alter cell function and protect against oxidative stress." Eric Verdin
Oxidative stress acts like rust, penetrating the cell's protective system and accelerating its ageing. Eric Verdin's team has shown that ketones activate genes that protect against oxidative stress.
"We were able to establish a link between our knowledge of ketones and their ability to increase life expectancy and protect against disease."
Ketones slow down the ageing process.
"The most important step in the last 10 years is the science and research that now exists on fasting. We have a great integration, a recognition of fasting from the other disciplines, such as cardiology, oncology, rheumatology, gastroenterology..."
Andreas Michalsen
Doctors observe that fasting works even better when it is combined with other therapies: Massages, cupping, cold therapy, and physical exercise. The aim is to eliminate waste products, stimulate autophagy and inhibit inflammation.
Andreas Michalsen:
Fasting has specific therapeutic effects, the most important of which are:
- It has an anti-inflammatory effect, for rheumatism, osteoarthritis, for pain
- It is effective against type II diabetes
- High blood pressure can be cured
- It is therefore preventative for cardiovascular diseases
Contraindications according to German doctors: cachexia, anorexia, hyperthyroidism, liver or kidney insufficiency, type I diabetes and pregnancy
"What makes fasting so effective and why it works on so many different systems is that it increases the body's self-healing powers many times over. Fasting is a signal for people to initiate comprehensive regeneration. The message to repair as much as possible."
Valter Longo
Valter Longo began by investigating water fasting before chemotherapy. There was great resistance from patients and doctors, so he developed sham fasting. This very low-calorie diet brings about biological changes that are also observed during fasting. In particular, the transition to ketosis.
Initially, the aim was to better protect the patient so that they could tolerate the chemotherapy better, but then they noticed that it also had a positive effect on tumor regression.
Example of a study: Exceptional tumor responses to fasting-mimicking diet combined with standard anticancer therapies: A sub-analysis of the NCT03340935 trial. (available at sciencedirect.com)
There are more than 20 clinical Studies on fasting and sham fasting and cancer. Doctors should read these and then decide in each individual case whether a sham fasting diet makes sense for their patient and is recommended or not.
The last objection to fasting that comes up again and again is the feared muscle atrophy
But Ms. Wilhelmi from the Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinic describes how clients climb stairs better and are fitter after the 10 days of fasting. So muscle and heart performance improve! But they wanted to document this convincingly and started the Genesis study. Two French researchers measured the effect of a 12-day fast using an MRI. Does long-term fasting damage the organs and especially the muscles?
32 test subjects of all ages were examined in an MRI before and after their fasting period as well as one and four months later. Almost 70,000 images were taken of each fasting person.
Pierre Croisille: People who fast lose weight. On average, participants in the Genesis study lost 6kg
Magalie Viallon: The positive surprise is that the images show that the integrity of the muscle is preserved! There are no changes that indicate a negative effect. The structure and magnetic properties remain unchanged. We can therefore say with certainty that fasting is harmless to the muscles.
But not only does the structure remain the same, the test subjects were also able to demonstrate the same muscle strength after 12 days. "The same applies to the stress test and oxidative function. The muscle remains just as powerful." Pierre Croisille
Not only the muscles, but also the other organs were examined. The analyses show that the brain, heart and abdominal area, including the liver, adapt perfectly to the metabolic change. Visceral fat, which surrounds the organs in the abdominal cavity and is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is reduced. This is still the case 4 months after fasting.
"Thanks to these kinds of scientific studies, it can really be proven that fasting has no negative effects on our organs, neither on the liver, heart, brain nor muscles. This is crucial, because it turns fasting into a purely mental challenge. There is therefore no cause for concern, as it does not cause any physiological impairment. The images of the organs prove this."Magalie Viallon
How can the improvements be maintained after the cure?
Andreas Michalsen recommends intermittent fasting for almost every patient; there are very few contraindications. The 14:10 is the recommended method after therapeutic fasting.
Extending the effect of long-term fasting with shorter periods of fasting is a new idea. It is based on astonishing research findings that have set a nutritional revolution in motion. Among the key players in this revolution are Mark Mattson and Satchin Panda. They have laid the scientific foundations for intermittent fasting. This involves abstaining from all food for 12, 14 or 16 hours. Within a few years, intermittent fasting has become a social phenomenon.
It all started at the National Institute of Aging, where Mark Mattson conducts research in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. He wanted to know whether intermittent fasting has an effect on brain function.
"When you fast, the activity of neuronal circuits in many brain regions increases, which leads to stress in the neurons and improves their function. Mark Mattson
Mattson says a hungry brain needs efficient neurons to function. survive.
"That's logical. They are more active because the brain has to be able to plan the search for food."
Mattson observes a positive influence of intermittent fasting on the entire organism. Why is this so?
Satchin Panda provides the final piece of the puzzle with his research on circadian rhythms. Our organism is regulated by 24-hour cycles. Internal biological clocks that work synchronously by alternating day and night. These clocks regulate numerous biological processes such as sleep or digestion depending on the time of day. In 2017, three researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discovery of the molecular processes that control these rhythms.
"It was an amazing discovery that our body is programmed to perform optimally at any given hour of the day."
Satchin Panda
Are these internal clocks being adjusted by our lifestyle? Satchin Panda conducted a study on this with mice. 2 groups were given the same food, one group could eat whenever they wanted and the other group was only given food within a time window of 10 hours. 4 months later, the first group suffered from obesity, diabetes, fatty liver and cardiovascular complications. Surprisingly, the others were perfectly healthy, despite being fed the same unbalanced diet. They also showed more endurance when running.
"I was less impressed at the time, but now I know that this was one of the great breakthroughs in 150 years of nutritional research."
Satchin Panda then turned the setting around and overweight mice had to fast for 14 hours. They lost weight and became healthier. Intermittent fasting therefore has a preventative and regenerative effect. This means that we can also prevent, treat and cure metabolic diseases in humans with intermittent fasting.
Panda then carried out a survey of 150 people in San Diego, all of whom said that they ate a healthy diet. He found that more than half of the participants ate over a period of 15 hours or more.
Constantly disregarding our internal clock disrupts our metabolism, our physiology and even our brain function. This increases the risk of many diseases. The SALK Institute studied a group of 150 firefighters. The researchers suggested that they fast for 14 hours for 3 months. After only 3 months, cardiologist and study leader Pam Taub noticed improvements.
There is no scientific data on the ideal length of fasting, between 12-16 hours. What the researchers do agree on: Children should not fast.
The New England Journal of Medicine
Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging and Disease
by Mark Mattson
"With the human studies, there is now enough evidence to recommend intermittent fasting to patients who are overweight and diabetic or at risk of becoming so. In fact, diabetics can often reverse their disease and no longer need medication to regulate their blood sugar" Mark Mattson
"Anyone who says that fasting is dangerous or that fasting is not medically effective is being unscientific."Andreas Michalsen
In Tahiti, 75% of the population is overweight. Many suffer from diabetes and other diseases of civilization. This is no way to build a country, which is why politicians have reacted. For the first time in the world, a government has introduced fasting as part of its health policy. The President of French Polynesia, Moetai Brotherson, explains that they want to focus more on prevention and that fasting can play a role in this. can contribute to this. It is not the only means, but it is an excellent one!
His aim is not simply to treat illnesses with medication, but to prevent people from becoming ill in the first place.
"Fasting is an essential component of our nutrition education policy, which aims to change our relationship with food. Moethai Brotherson
Oscar Temaru, former President of French Polynesia: "I sometimes have the impression that we were taught in our upbringing that the doctor is a kind of magician who can do everything. We want to change this view by saying that the best doctor is yourself. Your health depends on you."
We have a deeply rooted ability to fast in us humans! We should not forget that.
Recommended experts & studies:
Prof. Dr. Andreas Michalsen - expert in naturopathy & fasting medicine
Dr. Valter Longo - researcher on fasting mimicking diet & longevity
Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinic - studies on the effect of fasting on muscles & organs
Dr. Sachin Panda - Expert on intermittent fasting & circadian rhythms
Eric Verdin & Mark Mattson - Neuroscientific research on fasting & brain function
️ Fasting for beginners - How to get started right:
✨ 12- to 16-hour intermittent fasting for beginners
✨ Water or therapeutic fasting with professional support
✨ Fasting mimicking diets for gentle fasting effects
✨ Combination with exercise & relaxation for optimal results
Have you had any experience with fasting? Write me your thoughts & questions in the comments or send me a message!
Links
21-Day Detox and Intermittent Fasting Program: https://shop.arktisbiopharma.ch/21-tage-detox-und-intervallfasten-bundle-nach-der-upgraders-methode/B-012.2
Film Fasting - A Phenomenon is Researched: https: //www.arte.tv/de/videos/118244-000-A/fasten-ein-phaenomen-wird-erforscht/
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