The following is an article from the Corriere della Sera. " Thanks to L. Messina to report
Fasting? If you can do well short
abstain from food for one day a month could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes
MILAN - without-food-diet is healthy. Let's talk about fasting, but of course we talk about a fast time-limited: one day a month. So that it does not seem a great idea because fasting is often associated with religious practices and is seen as a form of punishment, at least according to the Christian, and it is not so new, because someone had already thought of as a way to lose weight. But now the scientific evidence is accumulating, and according to recent studies, not only on animals but also humans, they are demonstrating that those who fast have fewer diseases. The data come from numerous animal studies. And Mark Mattson of the U.S. National Institute of Aging says that in laboratory mice kept on a diet which provided a fast, lived longer and developed fewer tumors, older, better preserved mental abilities than those animals that could eat freely .
Mormons - Some preliminary observations on man have demonstrated that intermittent fasting and a diet low in calories can have health benefits. In particular, a study by researchers at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City showed that fasting on the first Sunday of the month, a common practice among the Mormons are concentrated precisely in this U.S. state west of the Rockies, reduced by 40 percent the risk of cardiovascular disease. It 's true that Mormons do not smoke, but researchers have taken into account. Not only that this population also has a lower incidence of diabetes. According to another study people with asthma, who fast regularly and have fewer symptoms and better function of the airways. There is material on which not really discuss because everyone agrees with this practice "healthy", so the scientific community is divided. Some researchers say that abstaining from food periodically changes the way in which our body uses food. According to Marc Hellerstein endocrinologist at the University of California at Berkeley, the human body responds well to fasting and of itself it is not dangerous to health. Some studies suggest that the cells "defend themselves" from lack of food with a kind of stress reaction, which in turn increases the production of proteins resistant to stress them more important to protect against stress. In other words, the body adapts to fast in a way that is beneficial in the long run.
loss of concentration - evidence that fasting has a protective effect is one thing, recommended as dietary choice is another. Other experts, faced with a practice that is becoming increasingly popular especially in the U.S., are not completely agree on the benefits of skipping meals for a day. Joanne Lunn, a nutritionist from the British Nutrition Foundation thinks that leaving the agency short of nutrients that can not be accumulated in the body and must therefore always available through food, you can create a sense of fatigue. "It would be better - comments - worry every time of what you eat. And it's not easy to fast the whole day especially if you work or are physically active. Already not have breakfast reduces the concentration of both creativity. " For others it is not difficult, so we know that the next day you can eat normally.
Burns fat - Everyone at this point may choose to experiment with this practice. But it is also useful to know what happens when the body hours after hours of fasting. Four to eight hours after the start of fasting, the body ceases to metabolize glucose (a type of sugar that is used to produce energy) in the blood after the last meal and then begins to transform glycogen (the chemical form in which glucose is stored in the body) into glucose. The first glycogen stores that are affected are those of the liver. In these hours, those who fast feels the pangs of hunger and stomach gurgling. Between eight and twelve hours, ending when the liver glycogen, the body begins to use the one lodged in the muscles, even when it runs out this time are "burning the fat, transformed into substances called ketones that act as substitutes for glucose. At this point you are really hungry. Spend the first twelve hours but the body continues to metabolize fats and many people claim to have no more hunger. However, when fat reserves are below 7 percent by weight of the body, the body begins to use protein as fuel to generate energy. And here begins the risks.
(Adriana Bazzi-March 2009)
