HEALTH BENEFITS OF RAMADAN FASTING
The holy month of Ramadan has just ended, and with it, the daily fasts of millions of people around the world. What many of us may not realize is the immense benefits of fasting that involves restricting the intake of food for a major part of the day. Let us have a look at what we stand to gain through regular, intermittent fasting and why it is a good idea. What happens if you fast? Before we enumerate the advantages of and guidelines to be followed while fasting, let us know what our body undergoes when we fast. When we abstain from food for extended periods of time, our body meets its energy expenditure from the glucose stored in the liver and the muscles, followed by our fat reserves, about 8 hours after we consume the last meal. Also, during this process, our body also gets rid of any toxins that may be present in our muscles and other parts of the body by burning them for energy. Benefits of fasting:
Promotes satiety: In our body, the feeling of fullness or satiety which we obtain after eating a meal, is controlled by a hormone known as Leptin. When we lose weight as a consequence of fasting, our body’s resistance to this hormone decreases. Therefore, we start feeling full and satiated faster, which prevents us from overeating.
Reduces resistance to insulin: Studies have shown that intermittent and regular fasting increases our body’s sensitivity to insulin. This allows glucose to be transported more efficiently to our blood stream, and prevents spikes and crashes in our sugar levels.
Detoxification: Due to the absence of food in the body, it resorts to burning fat deposits, which removes chemicals, resulting in cleansing and correction of imbalances in the body.