Doctor's Heart Series Chapter 5 : Introduction to Fasting

Benefits of fasting in this overindulgence world

Year 1922…

First successful treatment of type 1 Diabetes Mellitus by Banting and Best in Canada. BBC was formed. Readers digest started. Wimbledon Center Court was inaugurated. Einstein won the Nobel in Physics. Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay discovered Mohenjo-Daro in current-day Pakistan. Adolf Hitler led the Nazi party in the failed attempted coup in Germany. Lincoln Memorial is dedicated in Washington DC. Gandhi was imprisoned by the British for the start non-cooperation movement.

Mahatma Gandhi…

Mahatma (Great Soul) Gandhi was an Indian lawyer who started a nonviolent movement to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule. He also inspired various world leaders, including Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr, to fight for justice and freedoms. Gandhi had strong views on nonviolence and a keen interest in health and had written several essays on health, including a small book, the key to health. He discusses the idea of health through Naturopathy and Ayurvedic treatments( ancient Indian methods using natural remedies) and less into Allopathy. The most important part of health is self-restraint and discipline. Gandhi experimented with food every time and chronicled his events so succinctly. He has fasted 18 times during the independence movement early 20th century. Some of his fasts were 21 days or more(he still made it). Eventually, Britain crumbled, accepting India as a free country in 1947. He claims not to eat more than twice a day into adulthood. Also discusses more consuming uncooked and raw foods than cooked food. It's impressive to see the minimal data available to him, yet I believe he was experimenting on himself and well-read to his times (let's see if he was true to make such claims).

‘With apologies to medical friends, but out of the fullness of my own experiences and that of fellow cranks, I say without hesitation, fast (1) if you are constipated (2) if you are anemic (3) if you are feverish (4) if you have indigestion (5) if you have headache (6) if you are rheumatic (7) if you are gouty (8) if you are fretting and fuming (9) if you are depressed or (10) if you are overjoyed and you will avoid medical prescription and patented medicines.’ - Mahatma Gandhi

Above statement gives a glimpse into his view on Doctors. Looking at the picture below Mr. Gandhi hardly had any fat stores and was physically active. He knew early, excess food was making him lethargic and less sharp. He had everything to eat however choose not to. Self restraint became his mantra, which carried India towards its Independence. Coming to the present times.

Mahatma Gandhi

Industrialization to Globalization…

Industrialized Nations at the end of the second world war have shown how processed and engineered food entered into the daily routine, and the three times food intake became the norm. Initially, few studies at Harvard have demonstrated that high saturated fat causes worsening heart disease(investigations were botched), leaving carbohydrates, the unhinged essential food commodity. This led companies to start producing heavily sugar-infused foods. The low-fat foods are mostly filled with processed sugars (fats were never the culprit). With the liberalization 60's and '70s, so is the advent of many fast food joints. An easier and quicker way of eating. The drive-thru fast food has driven us into the current obese nation. Also, during the last 30-40 years, ease of goods transfer with globalization helped many people out of starvation. However, at the same token, there was exporting of westernized fast food and junk food(which became cheaper food than locally grown food), making the people eat unhealthy foods and become disease-ridden. This relentless export of food supply rich in processed foods and refined sugars to the different parts of the world lead to alarming levels of disease in emerging nations of Asia, South America andAfrica. Most South Asians already consuming heavy carbohydrate diets and recent infusion of westernized diet with processed and refined sugars multiplied the disease process. This lead to Insulin Resistance(blood work appears normal), Pre-diabetes(early diabetes), High Cholesterol(excess lipids in the blood), and Diabetes Mellitus(High sugar in the blood) can give rise to premature heart disease, Cancer and Autoimmune disease. We have become live to eat rather eat to live.

Policy and laws…

Healthcare has become much like any other business in the US. The business of weight loss and diets is a multibillion-dollar industry. Due to the heavy lobbying, the politician's hands are tied to make sensible food laws. There are approximately 10 food companies that run the entire US food network and in some parts of the globe. The approach toward Diabetes has not changed for decades; instead of preventing lifestyle disease, we spend more time treating the aftercare. Unfortunately, every adult (especially minorities) needs yearly evaluation to look specifically for metabolic disease as this tends to take decades before showing up full-blown disease like Diabetes. Most of the US dollars spent are for aftercare (after people get sick) than prevention. I believe we have to look at ourselves and the food around us, ultra-refined grains( ripping out essential fiber and leaving the easily absorbable Carb), refined flour, Cola, etc. Every boxed item with the label is processed food, no matter how healthy they claim it. The food pyramid changed; the tip represents fibers and fruits, and the bottom is excessive processed sugars and carbohydrates.

Questions…

Unfortunately, the whole health care system in the US has been towards the eat more and not eating less, taking more medication(sometimes essential medicines are needed). Seriously look around us; so much heart disease (including me, survived). We have to question ourselves why is it happening and what, as an individual, we can do about it. Different ethnicities face differently when it comes to heart disease, and South Asian ancestry tops the list regarding heart disease(number one cause of death all over the world). As a physician of South Asian descent and heart attack survivor, it can happen to anyone if it happened to me. So I started questioning and started this journey of unraveling and identifying the problems we are facing in this ever-changing world. What is the one thing I can do right now to reap the benefits. This lead me to fasting and its benefits and the funny part is, its free.

Idea of Fasting…

The Idea of fasting is as old as humans themselves; our bodies are essentially made for feast and famine food intake. Until recent times we were living in this regimen. However, we have noted lately is feasting day in and day out without giving a break to the Liver (metabolic powerhouse) synthesizes and supplies essential glucose or ketone bodies(fatty acids) for the brain and other vital organs. If you keep the Liver happy, we can eradicate most diseases; the only way to make it comfortable is to help from outside(fasting a day or 2). The Liver needs a break from constant eating to repair itself. Studies show that as much as 40% of the US population has some kind of fatty Liver (which will detail next article).

“Healthy Liver, Healthy Lives”

Ramadan/Hindu fast/ Catholic fast/lent :

Every religion has fasting embedded in its culture. I am not surprised whether these protocols and procedures were observed from the animals and were descended upon humans. Every culture that practices fasting knows this has been good. I believe the ancestors used to fast much longer, and as the food has gotten much more widely available, our practices have become shorter. There was recently a question of early Humans hibernating during the winter season from the excavations in Europe. Looking at the various mammalian species with the unique ability to fast for long periods. As the Ramadan month approaches, studies show that during the Ramadan period, people lose weight significantly but gain immediately back when they resume the standard diet.

“Fasting definitely is divine, before God will appreciate your effort, body will.”

Conclusion…

I couldn't resist posting about fasting or caloric restriction because of the immediate, long-lasting benefits it provides in this overabundance of the processed food world. It is very cheap and economical. It's about practicing self-restraint(easier said than done), just like Mr. Gandhi developing a skill for a lifetime. I believe he understood early that fasting and caloric restriction were helpful. Mindfulness and meditation play a role in food intake(See the article on stress and heart disease). Balance in everyday life is essential; I term the 8-8-8 rule (8hrs. of work, 8 hours of personal time, and 7-8 hours of sleep). Our bodies are resilient, and fasting is the protective mechanism, and the body goes into repair mode when we don't eat. It has been linked with longevity. Fasting is the connection between you and your ancestor(weird but true). I firmly believe humans survived so long is the resilience they developed in terms of fasting. The last few decades changed how we used to live for thousands of years.

There is no role in eating three meals a day into adulthood; for various reasons, we have been drilled into our heads, either societal or parental, or peer pressures lead us into constant eating mode. So next time, just skip the meal if you don’t like it; your liver will thank you.

Everyone has a faint idea that fasting is good; some don’t even know about fasting, especially millennials(due to the abundance of processed and readily available food). So what is the science of fasting? Who does it benefit? What are the studies to support it? What are different kinds of fasting? or am I all smokes and mirrors (LOL)? I would like to unravel them and answer all the questions in my next article…

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Suman Manchireddy MD FACP FHM, Internal Medicine, Leesburg, VA.

Email : Care@ReliantMD.com

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Disclaimer: This is purely informational and educational purposes only, seek medical advise prior to starting any testing or treatment regimen. The data presented here is researched extensively and has been condensed for a broader audience.