Despite evidence showing that fasting may actually help people live longer, nutritionists and scientists agree that it isn’t healthy–or practical. Yet new research from the University of Southern California may finally prove everyone wrong.
Looking at the effects of fasting in volunteers with compromised immune systems, researchers found that just fasting for three days kicked the body’s stem cells into overdrive–causing it to produce more white blood cells, helping fight off infection.
This is potentially groundbreaking news, as raising white blood cell counts could make a person’s immune system stronger–something that could benefit those whose immune systems are compromised.
And that includes people with cancer.
“It gives the OK for stem cells to go ahead and begin proliferating and rebuild the entire system,” says Valter Longo, a professor of gerontology and biological sciences at the University of Southern California. “And the good news is that the body got rid of the parts of the system that might be damaged or old, the inefficient parts, during the fasting. Now, if you start with a system heavily damaged by chemotherapy or aging, fasting cycles can generate, literally, a new immune system.”
The Research
Recruiting a set of adult volunteers, researchers had the participants fast regularly for two to four days at a time to see how it affected the body–something theorized in the past to extend a person’s life span. For the next six months, researchers had them complete these fasting periods regularly to gauge how it affected their bodies over the long term.
Then, after the six months passed, researchers checked their vital signs to see what changes had occurred.
For those who fasted for a prolonged period of time, they found that it reduced the enzyme PKA, something linked to aging. But what was more interesting is that it also decreased a hormone responsible for increasing a person’s cancer risk and the growth of certain malignant tumors.
In turn, it also amped up the production of white blood cells, further improving their immunity.
“We could not predict that prolonged fasting would have such a remarkable effect in promoting stem cell-based regeneration of the hematopoietic [formation of stem cells] system,” says Longo. “When you starve, the system tries to save energy, and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of the immune cells that are not needed, especially those that may be damaged. There is no evidence at all that fasting would be dangerous while there is strong evidence that it is beneficial.”
Longo also notes that previous evidence found that white blood cell counts increased in animals who fasted for prolonged periods of time. However, this is one of the few studies to demonstrate the same behavior in humans.
It’s definitely an exciting finding.
“The results of this study suggest that fasting may mitigate some of the harmful effects of chemotherapy,” says Tanya Dorff, co-author of the study and assistant professor of clinical medicine at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital.
What This Means For You
Once again, the evidence shows that fasting reigns supreme as the best way to lower your cancer risk. In turn, researchers say adding regular fasting periods to your diet couldn’t hurt; after all, there isn’t much evidence proving doing so could be harmful.
Readers: Have you ever fasted before?
Source:
Fasting for Three Days Renews Entire Immune System – NationalPost.com
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