Fasting has positive results not only on the soul, but also on the body.
Medical experts wanted to test a new type of diet inspired by the religious practice of fasting. They have, thus, discovered that the “fasting mimicking diet” brings many health benefits.
The diet presupposes that people reduce their caloric intake for five days a month and then, eat whatever they like during the rest of the month.
Fasting is now a hot subject as the Muslim Ramadan begun on June 18th. Like every year, there have been many critical voices saying that fasting could have a negative impact on people’s health, especially when carried out over a long period of time.
Recent researches, however, have shown that fasting is in fact, quite benefic for our health. A brief study conducted by diet experts at the University of Southern California has even led to the grounding of a new type of diet called the “fasting mimicking diet”.
Valter Longo, the co-author of the study has carefully observed the physical and the health evolution of a group of respondents on a three-month period. He was, thus, able to notice that the health condition of the said respondents has been significantly improved.
Many of the hearth and diabetes risks that the patients have been confronting with have been completely eliminated. Moreover, the immune system and the psychological state of the patients have had a remarkable evolution during the three month period during which the study has been carried out.
Longo has explained the press that the “fasting mimicking diet” presupposes five days of food abstinence, whereas practitioners may return to their regular eating practices for the rest of the month.
According to his declaration, dieters have to reduce their caloric intake during the first day of fasting to a maximum limit of 1,090 calories. They also have to consume only 10 percent protein, 34 percent carbohydrates and 56 percent fat.
On the following four days, the caloric intake will drop to 725 calories coming from 9 percent protein, 47 percent carbohydrates and 44 percent fat. Once these five days have been completed, the dieters may return to their regular eating practices, taking care, however, not to exaggerate.
Such alternations between eating habits have been initially criticized by nutrition experts. In their opinion, people should avoid making oscillations between days with lower and higher amounts of caloric intake as these practices are not healthy.
Such diets were considered ineffective on the long run, but the “fasting mimicking diet” comes to prove that such conduct may have positive results for people who want to lose weight.
Image source: telegraph.co.uk
