Here at the Prama Wellness center, we have observed over the past seven plus years how people’s skin looks much healthier when fasting. We have also observed how many chronic conditions, such as acid reflux, IBS, or arthritis may reverse with prolonged fasting and subsequent lifestyle change.
In recent years, several studies have increased our scientific understanding of why this happens, why we both look and feel better when we fast regularly. A few years ago, the Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi, a cell biologist, became famous for discovering how cells recycle and renew themselves, a process called autophagy, during fasting.
Autophagy, the cleansing effect that takes place when cells are renewed through a juice cleanse, can be vividly observed as pimples and rashes gradually disappear on the skin.
Then, a study from Harvard University revealed that fasting is also capable of increasing the lifespan, slows aging and improves health by altering the activity of mitochondrial networks inside our cells.
The research from Harvard shows how fasting manipulates those mitochondrial networks to keep them in a “youthful” state.
By studying nematode worms, an organism useful for studying longevity as it only lives for two weeks, the study found that fasting promote homeostasis in mitochondrial networks allowing for healthy plasticity between the fused and fragmented states inside cells.
The study also found that fasting enhances mitochondrial coordination with peroxisomes, a type of organelle that can increase fatty acid oxidation, a fundamental fat metabolism process.
In the study’s experiments, the lifespan of the worm was increased by simply preserving mitochondrial network homeostasis through dietary intervention. These results help shed light on how fasting can increase longevity and promote healthy aging.
“Low-energy conditions such as dietary restriction and intermittent fasting have previously been shown to promote healthy aging. Understanding why this is the case is a crucial step toward being able to harness the benefits therapeutically,” explains Heather Weir, lead author of the study, to the journal Cell Metabolism. “Our findings open up new avenues in the search for therapeutic strategies that will reduce our likelihood of developing age-related diseases as we get older.”
P.S. This article is not intended to treat or diagnose any disease and is only meant for educational purposes only.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ramesh Bjonnes
Ramesh is the Director of the Prama Wellness Center where lifestyle is considered our best medicine. Ramesh is also a writer, yogi and workshop leader. He studied yoga therapy in Nepal and India, Ayurveda at California College of Ayurveda and is a certified yoga detox theraphist from the AM Wellness Center in Cebu, Philippines. He has taught workshops in many countries and is the author of four books, including Sacred Body, Sacred Spirit (InnerWorld) and Tantra:The Yoga of Love and Awakening (Hay House India).
