Our body is capable of constantly renewing itself, so there is no need for any kind of fasting. There are no strictly scientific confirmations of “rejuvenation at the cellular level”, prolongation of life, slowing down aging.
Our organism is a unique biological system, which is able to rebuild and renew its own structures, as they say, on the fly. We are constantly building our own body anew, adapting to changing external conditions, i.e. adaptation processes are constantly taking place. Studies in recent years have confirmed that cells and cellular systems have an amazing ability – they can find worn out and pathologically altered biostructures and replace them with new, functionally complete ones. Scientists refer them to the mechanisms of autoregulation – internal self-regulation of the state of the body structure. When I am told that this mechanism works under any conditions – both with improper nutrition and in conditions of terrible ecology, I constantly have questions.
Why then do we get sick, age, and die if our bodies can constantly renew their own structures through autoregulation?
Why are our autoregulatory mechanisms of cellular composition not working at full capacity? Why are the systems responsible for constructive self-renewal of tissues damaged, why is their efficiency decreasing? Why are the adaptive capabilities of the organism decreasing?
Why do these mechanisms remain unutilized to their full potential? For the most part, no one answers this anymore.
Our body is saturated with poisons of modern civilization as a result of improper nutrition and disturbed ecology, all its vital energy is spent on neutralization of these poisons and maintenance of at least minimal vital activity. Modern research shows that the accumulation of exo- and endotoxins in the body reduces the ability of its adaptation and autoregulation even in a healthy state. In such a situation, it is not up to renewal. With the help of modern medical philosophy we will never learn to control the forces of self-renewal. But with the help of one of the most natural, natural methods of therapeutic fasting – it is possible.
Cleansing the organism from toxins stimulates the internal reserves of the organism’s recovery and supports self-renewal systems. Practice shows that it is in the process of dry therapeutic fasting that the renewal and rejuvenation of the organism are significantly enhanced. When for some strictly calculated time the continuous inflow of plastic materials is stopped, it becomes possible to remove dead cells from tissues in the most effective way, to utilize outdated, diseased tissues, to clean systems and organs from accumulated slags and toxins. Starvation can be called a temporary stop of the conveyor belt for preventive repair of those systems and mechanisms that cannot be repaired while the conveyor belt is in constant motion.All machines need such preventive repairs so that they can work efficiently, for a long time, without breakdowns.This is an axiom.It can also be considered an axiom that the organism of a sick person cannot be called a well-oiled production.And overeating is especially dangerous for a sick person.But that is the power of therapeutic starvation, that it is the most indicated in diseases, in which it is necessary to eat a lot of food.
I also want to cite interesting scientific data confirming the huge role of fasting in the renewal and rejuvenation of the body.
Scientists have explained why fasting prolongs life more effectively than exercise.
A group of German zoologists studied the effect of diet and exercise on the life span of mice. The researchers published their results in the American Journal of Physiology.
Researchers led by Douglas Hufman conducted their experiments based on previously obtained facts. In previous experiments, it was shown that mice that regularly receive physical activity, on average, live longer than their “lazy” counterparts receiving the same diet. The beneficial effect of exercise is explained by the fact that it prevents the development of certain diseases. Accordingly, physically active mice have a longer life expectancy. However, the longevity of the long-lived mice in the group receiving exercise was comparable to that of the long-lived mice in the physically inactive group (provided that the mice in both groups received the same amount of food). Thus, exercise may prevent early death from disease, but it does not by itself prolong life. At the same time, the longevity champions from the group receiving significantly less food lived much longer than the record holders from the physically active group. All these facts confirm that reducing the number of calories consumed is a more effective means of defense against disease than physical activity. In addition, fasting itself can increase life expectancy in some cases.
In physiology, two main theories have been propagated to explain the greater benefit of fasting compared to exercise. According to one, exercise puts additional stress on the body, causes tissue damage, and may increase the likelihood of mutations in DNA. Another theory suggests that fasting causes physiological changes that extend lifespan. Hufman and colleagues decided to test which of these theories was valid. In their experiments, they used a comprehensive approach and measured many different factors. They showed that in mice that received as much food as they wanted, insulin levels in the blood increased. Consequently, the risk of developing diabetes increased. In addition, the “gluttons” had increased levels of the insulin-like growth factor IGF-1, which is involved in the regulation of cell growth and death. In the blood of the physically active mice, the amounts of insulin and IGF-1 were minimal. The researchers also found that compared to the other groups, the mice that received no physical activity but ate unlimited amounts of food had the maximum level of DNA damage. This rate increases with age, but starvation alone or combined with exercise can slow the process.
Thus, the scientists showed that exercise does not cause tissue or DNA damage severe enough to shorten lifespan. On the other hand, their study confirms that fasting promotes metabolic changes that ultimately prolong life. In humans, similar mechanisms may be at work. There is limited experimental evidence that fasting induces similar biochemical changes in humans. A low-calorie diet, even in people who are not obese, can lead to changes in metabolism and body chemistry that are associated with improved health and longevity, the scientists report. The findings support the hypothesis that reducing the amount of food long known to extend the lives of rats and mice works the same way in humans, preventing heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases, and slowing aging. The idea that starvation may prove to be a source of youth has fascinated scientists and ordinary people.
Calorie restriction – what scientists call a nutrient-rich but low-calorie diet – is a topic of research, and some have already started experimenting on themselves. There is the Calorie Restriction Society, which brings together people from around the country. Its president, Brian Delaney, estimates that there are thousands of followers of this theory who are experimenting on themselves. But the fact that reducing food calories is effective for humans has not been proven, mainly because it is a time-consuming and expensive study. It takes decades to assess the method’s effect on longevity.
“There is no data on people who are not obese,” said Eric Ravussin, director of the Health Improvement Program at the University of Louisiana Biomedical Research Center. Previous studies have shown that low-calorie diets can reduce weight and alter metabolism in obese people. The results of the six-month study involving 48 people, which Ravussin led, are published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association. This is the first test of the calorie restriction method on people who were overweight but not obese. Most participants restricted calories by 25 percent, but some went further and consumed as few as 890 calories a day for several days. “There’s never been a study like this before,” said Dr. Evan Hadley, director of the geriatrics and clinical gerontology program at the National Institute on Aging, which funded the study. He called the results “striking,” even though the experiment was a pilot project ahead of a two-year study set to begin in the fall. Among Ravussin’s key findings was that calorie restriction leads to lower insulin levels and lower body temperature. Both are considered signs of longevity, in part because an earlier study by other scientists found both traits in long-lived people.
The diet also resulted in lower thyroid hormone levels and reduced DNA damage. Scientists have long known: when people restrict calories and lose weight, the body tries to compensate by slowing down metabolism. Slowing down is a defense mechanism that combats weight loss. It may have been preserved by evolution because it saved people from starvation when food was scarce, but it is the bane of dieters because this mechanism makes long-term weight loss difficult. There are several explanations for why a strict diet that is low in calories but rich in nutrients can slow aging. Many scientists believe an important factor in aging is DNA damage by free radicals, highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules produced during normal metabolism. Eating less food leads to slower metabolism and fewer free radicals.
Another hypothesis is that caloric deficiency turns certain genes on and off, generally slowing down the “clock”. In rhesus macaques, the effects of caloric restriction are noticeable. A team from the University of Wisconsin led by Richard Weindruch has been observing 76 monkeys for more than a decade – half of them receive a low-calorie diet, the other half, the control group, eat normally. The animals on the low-calorie diet weigh about 30 percent less and have 70 percent less body fat and lower insulin levels. The control group had twice the death rate from senile diseases like cardiac arrest and diabetes. About 90% of the monkeys in the first group are still alive, while only 70% of the control group are alive.
Starvation, longevity and cholesterol: all tied to the SIRT1 gene
Scientists – and not only them – have known for a long time that moderation in food and fasting prolongs life. This has been proven by experiments – laboratory mice sitting on starvation rations live much longer than their relatives who know nothing to refuse. And recently American scientists managed to explain the biochemical mechanism of this phenomenon. As it turned out, starvation activates one of the genes, which depends on the content of a certain protein in the body, which, in turn, slows down the rate of aging. SIRT1 gene is a link between longevity caused by fasting and the mechanism of cholesterol removal from the body. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working under the direction of Professor Leonard Guarente (Leonard Guarente), found that the gene SIRT1, which provides calorie-deficient longevity, is involved in the mechanism that removes cholesterol from the body in the form of high-density lipoproteins (“good cholesterol”). In earlier work, the authors demonstrated that high levels of SIRT1 protein can be achieved by an extreme reduction in caloric intake, which is not always acceptable for most people.
The mammalian SIRT1 gene is a homolog of the SIR2 gene, whose activity contributes to life extension in yeast and roundworms. The researchers hypothesized that the SIRT1 gene also has similar effects. They found that a low level of protein encoded by the SIRT1 gene in mouse cells leads to cholesterol accumulation in cells, including macrophages, due to weak activity of a protein called liver X receptor (liver X receptor, LXR).
LXR provides cholesterol transport from macrophages. Cholesterol-filled macrophages can cause the formation of atherosclerotic plaques that narrow the lumen of arteries. SIRT1 stimulates LXR activity, which leads to the release of cholesterol from macrophages and its excretion from the body in the form of high-density lipoproteins. Starvation, which enhances SIRT1 activity, may reduce the risk of cholesterol accumulation-related diseases such as atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. The polyphenols in red wine have the necessary activity, but the amount that can be consumed with wine is not enough to significantly reduce cholesterol levels. The authors believe that their discovery will help in the development of preventive agents that reduce the risk of diseases associated with high cholesterol levels in the body.
Starvation extends life to 180 years
It turns out that in extreme situations, such as starvation, the mammalian organism begins to produce a special protein. It reveals the crisis potential of the organism and, in particular, creates conditions for extending life by at least 50 percent. To such a sensational conclusion came American scientists. During the experiments of scientists in mice, a special gene responsible for the synthesis of the “protein of life” was identified. Researchers believe that a similar mechanism operates in the human body. As a result, American scientists promise in the near future to create a technology that will extend human life up to 180 years. Meanwhile, they advise those who wish to activate the “protein of life” themselves, using moderate fasting. It has long been known that dietary restriction prolongs life. And this is true for virtually all terrestrial organisms. But until now, scientists have been unable to answer the question of why this is so. It is clear that if this is a general pattern, then it must be based on some general mechanism. To understand this mechanism means to unravel the mystery of aging. American scientists have compared calendar and physiological aging in conditions of a reduced diet using Drosophila flies as an example. It turned out that physiological aging does not directly correlate with calendar aging, and with age, restriction in nutrition only reduces the stability of the organism in many parameters. Surprisingly, with overall lowered resistance, starving flies still have a longer life expectancy on average! So the mystery of aging is getting new details.
Interesting are the experiments of Canadian geneticistswho managed to extend the life of earthworms by 2 times with the help of genetic engineering. So, with the help of periodic starvation without any genetic manipulations it is possible to prolong the life of earthworms 19 (!!) times. English scientist Huxley made experiments with earthworms: he fed their colony with ordinary food, and one of the worms was isolated and periodically subjected to starvation. This isolated worm survived 19 generations of worms living in the colony. Such a result on prolongation of life in the experiment has never been obtained before. It’s just a pity that man is more complicated than the earthworm. With the help of therapeutic fasting he can live only up to his genetic limit, which, you must agree, is also quite a lot. 110 years is more than enough to leave his mark on the earth.
Life itself sometimes performs amazing experiments. In the North of India on the border with Pakistan lives the Hunza tribe. ( It is written in detail in the chapter “preparation for fasting”). This is an underdeveloped tribe with primitive culture. However, nobody from this tribe lives less than 110-120 years (!). At the same time, people work until the very last moment of their life and die, as a rule, at work. Not far from Hunza in the same climatic conditions lives another tribe, where people do not live even to middle age. The Hunza differ from neighboring tribes only in one thing: every spring they run out of food and starve for 2 months before the new harvest.
Another feature of this tribe is that they live in apricot orchards and get large amounts of carotene, which is a natural antioxidant, with their food.
