Contents:
- Medical Video: What Happens to Your Body When You Fast (During Ramadan)
- How can fasting reduce weight and cholesterol?
- Is it true that fasting triggers the detoxification process?
- What happens to body organs when we fast
- To stay healthy while fasting
Medical Video: What Happens to Your Body When You Fast (During Ramadan)
Muslims are required to limit food, drinks, and smoking habits while fasting. Beyond the religious side, there are several questions that arise about fasting, especially regarding whether fasting is beneficial for health in medical terms. To answer it, we must know what things happen in the body while we fast.
This month-long lifestyle change, both diet, sleep, and daily physical activity, causes many changes in the body, from physiological changes (related to body composition and organ function), hematology (related to blood and fluids), and blood biochemistry (related to body electrolytes). We call it the "physiology of fasting."
How can fasting reduce weight and cholesterol?
Changes that occur in the body when fasting will vary, depending on how long we fast. Technically, the new body enters the "fasting phase" after 8 hours of the last meal, in which the intestine finishes absorbing various kinds of nutrients from food. Under normal conditions, body glucose is stored in the liver and muscles as the main energy source. During fasting, this glucose storage is burned first to supply energy to our body, so that we can carry out activities as usual. After this storage runs out, fat is the next source of energy. Although actually, the storage of glucose in the liver is not fully spent, there is still residual energy reserves if needed at any time and perform other functions in the liver.
If fasting is prolonged, the body is forced to use protein as an energy source. The use of protein as an energy source is not healthy. This is because the protein that is broken down comes from the muscles, so the muscles gradually become smaller and weaker. However, in Ramadan fasting, we only fast for approximately 13-14 hours, right at the time of changing the source of energy from liver glucose to fat, as the second energy source. Ramadan fasting does not cause protein breakdown, so the composition of our muscles will not decrease. The use of fat is very useful in decreasing body weight while reducing blood cholesterol. Weight loss causes better control of diabetes and lowers blood pressure. While a decrease in blood cholesterol avoids a person from various metabolic diseases such as obesity, coronary heart disease, and stroke.
Is it true that fasting triggers the detoxification process?
The detoxification process also occurs in the body when fasting. Various kinds of toxins (poisons) stored in fat are broken and can be removed from the body. After a few days of fasting, there is an increased hormone which is endorphins. This hormone known as the happiness hormone causes improvement in alertness, cognitive power, and mental health.
However, limiting fluid intake can cause our body to lose some of the body's electrolytes. A study Attarzadeh Hosseini SR et al (2013) showed that there was a decrease in the composition of water and potassium during fasting. However, this fluid restriction has been replaced by kidney function which is very efficient in regulating fluid and electrolyte balance, so we do not fall into a state of dehydration during fasting.
What happens to body organs when we fast
Well, to see some changes in organ function as long as we fast, let's look at the following explanation.
Mouth
Production of salivary glands works to prevent the mouth from falling in dry conditions. This is to reduce the possibility of bad breath.
Stomach
Decreased stomach acid production. This is to prevent the erosion of the stomach wall by acid due to the absence of milled food, so that gastric wounds can be avoided.
Liver
Break down glucose storage as the first energy source.
Gall bladder
Concentrate bile for the preparation of fat metabolism when breaking fast.
Pancreas
Under normal circumstances, the pancreas functions to produce insulin, a hormone that changes glucose from food so that it can be stored as an energy reserve. During fasting, insulin production stops and this hormone tells the liver to break down glucose storage in the liver. Production digestive juice also decreased.
Small intestine
Processed food production stops, the nutrient absorption process stops and there is only a regular movement of the small intestine every 4 hours.
Colon
Water absorption is controlled to maintain fluid balance.
To stay healthy while fasting
Balanced food and beverage intake plays an important role during fasting. To prevent the breakdown of muscle protein, our food intake should consist of food energy sources, such as enough carbohydrates and fat. Intake of these two substances should not be less or excessive, because it will affect the fasting physiology process. Even so is fluid intake, especially consumption of water. Adequate water consumption of 2500 ml / 24 hours or the equivalent of 8 glasses of water / day helps the kidneys not to overwork. By understanding body changes during fasting, we are able to wisely fulfill the needs of our body. Happy fasting.
