Fasting
Fasting is the practice of going without food for a period of time. People engage in fasting for health and religious reasons. Today, on the Integrated Pharmacist podcast, we're talking about the effects of fasting on human health.
The goals for fasting might include weight reduction, toxin elimination, better mental clarity, improved cardiovascular health, blood sugar control, and even improved cancer treatments.
There are multiple ways to fast. Intermittent fasting includes limiting food consumption to an 8 hour period every day. Some people go without any food or water for 24 hours. Some fasts include water and may extend the fast to 48 hours. Still others consider fasting for as long as 21 days while on a liquid-only diet. This type of diet typically includes vegetable juices or some other way of providing the body with essential vitamins and minerals while keeping caloric intake to about 250 to 350 a day.
Although many people have found benefit to fasting, it does come with some risk. People often report effects of dizziness, hypoglycemia, headaches, and general weakness. If taken too far, patients can experience anemia and other nutrient deficiencies which can lead to muscle degeneration, diarrhea, and other serious conditions such as heart arrhythmia.
This episode, I found two studies to support the use of fasting as a complementary modality. One study, Food‐effect study on uracil and dihydrouracil plasma levels as marker for dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity in human volunteers, looked at the effects of a full fasting state on enzyme pathways that clear the drug 5-fluorouracil. I had heard of people using fasting as a rationale to decrease the amount of cancer medication taken at a time. This is likely one of the studies that backs up that practice. The FDA requires 12 participants in a food-effect study. This study exceeded that limit by enrolling 16 patients including 8 men and 8 women in a randomized cross-over trial. It was a somewhat homogeneous group being 27-46 years old and 100% Caucasian. The researchers determined genotype and phenotype related to the enzyme in question. The researchers did not administer the cancer drug 5-FU, but rather chose to measure naturally occurring chemicals that are processed through the same enzymes. Uracil can be found in foods rich in RNA such as animal muscle. Their findings indicated increased levels of uracil and dihydrouracil after an overnight fast. This confirmed the researchers suspicion that when administering 5-FU to patients, circadian rhythm and food can affect blood concentrations. Patients who fast during administration may experience increased blood levels of the drug which would require lower dosing of the medication.
The other study I found is entitled Safety, health improvement and well-being during a 4 to 21-day fasting period in an observational study including 1422 subjects. It looked at the effects of a specific juice fast called the Buchinger method. To be clear, the Buchinger method involves staying at a facility over the course of 5 to 20 days. The clinicians at the facility prepare the juices, provide activities, evaluate health, and administer therapies throughout the stay. Caloric and water intake are heavily monitored. Participants in this study were Europeans, typically of higher income status, with a variety of health status and weights. They report very limited negative reactions and a long list of positive effects including decreased weight, lower blood LDL, and normalized blood pressure. Although the blood levels would be difficult to mask with a placebo effect, most of the measurements were patient-reported. As far as I can tell, these patients spent thousands of dollars to participate in this fast. It seems nature that they would report better outcomes, because they don't want to consider that they spent their money on an ineffective experience. However, many participants did report decreased weight and waist circumference without hunger pains with greater drops in the longer visits. Blood work indicates that these reductions occurred without causing harm to the patients.
As for recommendations, fasting for short periods does seem to be beneficial for some patients. I would recommend that cancer patients talk to their doctor about fasting effects on chemotherapy. For weight reduction, I advise serious caution. Improper nutrition can cause serious electrolyte imbalances that can be harmful to the heart. If not properly monitored, a patient could suffer serious injury or death. To ensure safe juice fasting, I would recommend finding a clinic like the Buchinger facility where these things can be monitored and the nutrition prepared with consideration. However, this kind of experience in not only costly but time consuming. It costs thousands of dollars to stay at the facility and participants would not be able to continue going to work over the course of the fast. On the other hand, if that's how you want to spend your vacation, it might be worth the health benefits to relax and fast in a safe environment.
Thank you for listening to the Integrated Pharmacist podcast. Remember, by subscribing and leaving a review it helps other listeners find the show. You can also help me grow by telling your friends to tune in. Please join me next time where I will discuss the Bach flower tinctures, here on the Integrated Pharmacist Podcast.
Resources:
Henricks LM, Jacobs BAW, Meulendijks D, et al. Food-effect study on uracil and dihydrouracil plasma levels as marker for dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity in human volunteers. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2018;84(12):2761–2769. doi:10.1111/bcp.13719
Wilhelmi de Toledo F, Grundler F, Bergouignan A, Drinda S, Michalsen A. Safety, health improvement and well-being during a 4 to 21-day fasting period in an observational study including 1422 subjects. PLoS One. 2019;14(1):e0209353. Published 2019 Jan 2. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0209353
The goals for fasting might include weight reduction, toxin elimination, better mental clarity, improved cardiovascular health, blood sugar control, and even improved cancer treatments.
There are multiple ways to fast. Intermittent fasting includes limiting food consumption to an 8 hour period every day. Some people go without any food or water for 24 hours. Some fasts include water and may extend the fast to 48 hours. Still others consider fasting for as long as 21 days while on a liquid-only diet. This type of diet typically includes vegetable juices or some other way of providing the body with essential vitamins and minerals while keeping caloric intake to about 250 to 350 a day.
Although many people have found benefit to fasting, it does come with some risk. People often report effects of dizziness, hypoglycemia, headaches, and general weakness. If taken too far, patients can experience anemia and other nutrient deficiencies which can lead to muscle degeneration, diarrhea, and other serious conditions such as heart arrhythmia.
This episode, I found two studies to support the use of fasting as a complementary modality. One study, Food‐effect study on uracil and dihydrouracil plasma levels as marker for dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity in human volunteers, looked at the effects of a full fasting state on enzyme pathways that clear the drug 5-fluorouracil. I had heard of people using fasting as a rationale to decrease the amount of cancer medication taken at a time. This is likely one of the studies that backs up that practice. The FDA requires 12 participants in a food-effect study. This study exceeded that limit by enrolling 16 patients including 8 men and 8 women in a randomized cross-over trial. It was a somewhat homogeneous group being 27-46 years old and 100% Caucasian. The researchers determined genotype and phenotype related to the enzyme in question. The researchers did not administer the cancer drug 5-FU, but rather chose to measure naturally occurring chemicals that are processed through the same enzymes. Uracil can be found in foods rich in RNA such as animal muscle. Their findings indicated increased levels of uracil and dihydrouracil after an overnight fast. This confirmed the researchers suspicion that when administering 5-FU to patients, circadian rhythm and food can affect blood concentrations. Patients who fast during administration may experience increased blood levels of the drug which would require lower dosing of the medication.
The other study I found is entitled Safety, health improvement and well-being during a 4 to 21-day fasting period in an observational study including 1422 subjects. It looked at the effects of a specific juice fast called the Buchinger method. To be clear, the Buchinger method involves staying at a facility over the course of 5 to 20 days. The clinicians at the facility prepare the juices, provide activities, evaluate health, and administer therapies throughout the stay. Caloric and water intake are heavily monitored. Participants in this study were Europeans, typically of higher income status, with a variety of health status and weights. They report very limited negative reactions and a long list of positive effects including decreased weight, lower blood LDL, and normalized blood pressure. Although the blood levels would be difficult to mask with a placebo effect, most of the measurements were patient-reported. As far as I can tell, these patients spent thousands of dollars to participate in this fast. It seems nature that they would report better outcomes, because they don't want to consider that they spent their money on an ineffective experience. However, many participants did report decreased weight and waist circumference without hunger pains with greater drops in the longer visits. Blood work indicates that these reductions occurred without causing harm to the patients.
As for recommendations, fasting for short periods does seem to be beneficial for some patients. I would recommend that cancer patients talk to their doctor about fasting effects on chemotherapy. For weight reduction, I advise serious caution. Improper nutrition can cause serious electrolyte imbalances that can be harmful to the heart. If not properly monitored, a patient could suffer serious injury or death. To ensure safe juice fasting, I would recommend finding a clinic like the Buchinger facility where these things can be monitored and the nutrition prepared with consideration. However, this kind of experience in not only costly but time consuming. It costs thousands of dollars to stay at the facility and participants would not be able to continue going to work over the course of the fast. On the other hand, if that's how you want to spend your vacation, it might be worth the health benefits to relax and fast in a safe environment.
Thank you for listening to the Integrated Pharmacist podcast. Remember, by subscribing and leaving a review it helps other listeners find the show. You can also help me grow by telling your friends to tune in. Please join me next time where I will discuss the Bach flower tinctures, here on the Integrated Pharmacist Podcast.
Resources:
Henricks LM, Jacobs BAW, Meulendijks D, et al. Food-effect study on uracil and dihydrouracil plasma levels as marker for dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity in human volunteers. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2018;84(12):2761–2769. doi:10.1111/bcp.13719
Wilhelmi de Toledo F, Grundler F, Bergouignan A, Drinda S, Michalsen A. Safety, health improvement and well-being during a 4 to 21-day fasting period in an observational study including 1422 subjects. PLoS One. 2019;14(1):e0209353. Published 2019 Jan 2. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0209353
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