Perhaps you have experienced it yourself, or perhaps you know someone around you who has already practiced it… What is certain is that fasting is on the rise. stern. Like everything related to nutrition more generally, from diets of all kinds to mono diets, including juicing and other "detox" methods. Because food is often coupled with a spiritual dimension, which can therefore fill a void for many. It is even a popular business, with some organizing fasting stays on the model of meditation retreats or others!
It is that the practice of fasting certainly has virtues. Evidenced by its therapeutic application which, if it is not allowed in a medical setting in France, is in some of our neighbors such as Germany, Russia or the United States, which have integrated it into hospitals, with institutes specifically dedicated to hosting fasting cures! The total fast or dry, then designates the fact of abstaining from all food (including liquids) in order to either reduce or prevent symptoms of illness. It takes place over a more or less long period, which can range from a few days to more than a week or two! Water Fasting rule out the consumption of all foods and only allow the absorption of liquids (water, vegetable broths, herbal teas, fruit and vegetable juices).
An alternative is the partial fast , which incorporates a caloric intake of less than 300kcal per day, therefore extremely low, and in liquid form only.
Yet another is intermittent fasting. , which limits food intake to a short period of the day (we often speak of 8 hours of meals versus 16 hours of fasting, but the fasting period can go up to 22 hours or more). The principle remains the same:put the part of your body responsible for digestion at rest and have it draw on the resources previously stored.
In fact, fasting is a fairly instinctive response to a temporary weakness in the body. Think about it:it is quite common to lose your appetite in times of illness. Animals, especially migratory ones, also experience fasting and will often refuse to eat when they are sick. And we all fast intermittently daily, during sleep, even if it is not perceived as such. What is called fasting is therefore simply a deliberate extension of this pause. It is also probably not for nothing that this practice is included in the calendar of the three great monotheistic religions. Religious mystical obligations are often explained by rather prosaic imperatives. Thus, while Ramadan is certainly the most observed of these fasts by the Muslim faithful, let us not forget Christian Lent and Jewish holidays such as Yom Kippur. Nevertheless, even the most pious are aware of the dangers presented by such a practice, and the stress it can place on the body of the practitioners. Islam thus allows pregnant women, the sick and travelers to be exempt from fasting, as well as... the elderly.
Because yes, our constitution is of course weaker after a certain age. Inserm also warns of the risks incurred by the practice of fasting outside a medical structure (that is to say in self-medication via it), which would present "significant and serious health risks ". It should therefore be borne in mind that these risks are only increased when fasting concerns elderly people, who are already more fragile than average.
If the practice is so popular, it is because it would have many advantages for its practitioners. Hippocrates, the spiritual father of doctors, recommended fasting for the treatment of his patients' minor ailments. Thus, by putting them to rest for several days or at least a significant part of the day, fasting would allow different organs involved in digestion, such as the liver or the pancreas, to "rest" so to speak. It is therefore an excellent "detox" tool. During this time when the body does not absorb new substances, it is also forced to draw on our reserves:glucose - fasting melts the stock, with very positive effects on the prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular disorders, therefore — and fats are the first to disappear in order to continue to supply the body with energy. The practice is therefore unsurprisingly ideal for losing weight, especially since nutritionists point out that unlike other radical diets, it is less conducive to a yo-yo effect in stride, where all the weight lost is regained all at once — provided, of course, that you avoid immediately falling back into the bad habits that are often responsible for the initial weight gain.
In addition to the regeneration of the body and the weight loss that it induces, some supporters of fasting also make it a miracle tool, which would have effects on the improvement of cognitive faculties as well as on the development of certain chronic diseases. , ranging from diabetes to hypertension to arthritis. These are nevertheless scientifically disputed, and to date there is not really a consensus. This is without taking into account the mental and spiritual virtues attributed to the practice of fasting, which would reinvigorate people suffering from depression or burnout, and push everyone to push their limits.
In order to avoid deficiencies, however, in the case of intermittent fasting (long-term fasting necessarily involving the latter), it must be ensured that these resources from which the body draws are supplied in a balanced way during the period when the we feed. So a bowl of cereal won't do for lunch if you choose to skip dinner! It is necessary to ensure a certain intake of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates, in order to hold the rest of the day. This taken into account, this type of fast presents a relatively low risk of deficiencies, and apart from pre-existing conditions (diabetes for example), it is quite suitable for the elderly.
On the other hand, a longer fast is rather inadvisable, because of the many imbalances it imposes on the body, which represents a certain trauma for the latter. After a certain age, it is also more complicated to regain the muscle mass that melts at the same time as the calories. Seniors should also bear in mind their possible drug prescriptions, since absorption on an empty stomach is not the same as on a full stomach. This is why many medications are meant to be taken at mealtime. As in many cases, it is therefore better to rely on the advice of your doctor before taking the plunge, and your meals at the same time!
A prolonged fast would be more likely to bear fruit, vis-à-vis the benefits on our health. Thus, it is estimated that from 72 hours, the body would completely renew its immune system, because it is forced to produce mass white blood cells, precisely the very ones that play an essential role within our immune system. However, this only happens because the body is then extremely weakened! This is why health professionals are sometimes skeptical about the relevance of fasting, and a fortiori in elderly patients who are already weakened. While some perceive it as a recommendable makeover for the elderly as well as for people whose immune system has been damaged, following chemotherapy for example, others are more cautious. Once again, never start this kind of rather violent procedure without having at least first discussed it with a health professional.
On the other hand, a potentially healthier alternative would therefore be intermittent fasting. This would also have the effect of greatly increasing the immune defenses, thanks in particular to the stimulation of autophagy, this ability that our body has to eliminate diseased or dead cells. DHEA — the so-called “anti-aging” growth hormone — is also said to be boosted by the process. Nevertheless, its effects on aging are strongly questioned, and commercial supplements widely criticized. However, it is also effective in weight loss. In short, intermittent fasting is in a way the more flexible alternative to strict fasting, offering the same advantages as the latter but in a less drastic way. Although we should not expect a miracle cure from it, it is still potentially interesting for more fragile people, and has the advantage of presenting almost no risk. Therefore, why not give it a try if your attending physician sees no contraindication?
