Fasting Has Nothing to Do with Starvation If Done Correctly

Six compelling benefits of short or long-term fasting based on research and decades of experience

People have different perspectives on fasting. Some people who never tried it speculate and associate fasting with starvation. We usually fear what we don’t know. I am confident about fasting as I know its effects on my body and mind based on my years of research and experience.

Even though fasting might seem like starvation from the outset to some, it is an entirely different metabolic state. Critics, with good intentions, raise concerns about the potential risks associated with fasting.

I have profound empathy and compassion who face starvation, especially children who cannot grow due to malnutrition. There are still millions of people suffering from it globally. We need to help those poor people within our capability. Moreover, fasting can increase empathy as it is also a spiritual growth tool used in many cultures for centuries.

Of course, like any aspect of life, voluntary fasting carries its own set of risks. Even the body's most fundamental needs, like air, water, and food, come with some risks.

While food, water, and air might contain harmful substances, we cannot simply forgo these necessities due to the risks involved. There is nothing without risk in life. The key is to mitigate risks with logic and intuition.

Drawing an equivalence between fasting and starvation without considering the context is akin to equating high-caloric food with obesity. Both comparisons oversimplify complex topics and fail to consider crucial factors that differentiate them.

When designing my lifestyle, I find it helpful to consider whether a process or tool is natural or unnatural. Natural processes and tools generally evoke confidence and safety in me, whereas I cautiously approach unnatural things based on technologies we develop, even though they look attractive.

Natural approaches like fasting align with our innate biology and can be intuitively trusted as our genes are coded with precise actions to deal with it. Unnatural ones must be approached with greater caution and professional support due to uncontrollable mechanisms by the body.

Striking a balance between natural and unnatural approaches can contribute to a well-rounded and informed perspective on health improvement in this modern world.

Fasting is a natural state. However, it also comes with risks. Therefore, we must mitigate those risks cautiously and effectively and leverage the power of fasting responsibly to support our well-being. I documented my experience with dealing with the side effects of fasting in a previous article.

In this article, I clarify the misconceptions related to fasting based on my reviews and experience in simple language.

What Is Fasting and What It Is Not

I want to highlight a more informed and nuanced perspective on fasting, recognizing its potential to optimize health while respecting individual differences and the need for personalized guidance.

Fasting is misunderstood as synonymous with starvation, but clarifying their differences is essential. Education, awareness, and responsible exploration of fasting can empower us to make informed choices that support our well-being. For example, we need to slow down during fasting until the feeding window.

Fasting involves voluntarily abstaining from food for a specific period. During fasting, the body can experience several metabolic changes, like depletion of glycogen stores, increased fatty acid oxidation, and the production of ketone bodies as an alternative energy source.

Fasting physiological and psychological benefits affect our metabolic and mental health. Fasting has been explored as a potential therapeutic approach for specific health conditions. However, it’s crucial to consider individual factors, like underlying health conditions, age, and nutritional status, when fasting.

Several theories explain the benefits of fasting. For example, the hormesis theory suggests mild stressors, like temporary food deprivation, can activate cellular defense mechanisms and promote resilience.

Another theory is the evolutionary adaptation theory, which asserts that fasting mimics ancestral patterns of food scarcity, triggering metabolic adaptations that may confer survival advantages.

Fasting and starvation are different metabolic states. Starvation is an involuntary and prolonged food deprivation associated with severe malnutrition and lack of energy, showing adverse health consequences.

In contrast, fasting is a purposeful practice that involves controlled periods of not eating while ensuring adequate nutrition and hydration outside the fasting window.

Fasting should be approached with caution and should not be pursued to the extent of starvation. Professional guidance and individual considerations are vital to ensure safety and appropriateness. Fasting should be personalized and adapted to each person’s unique needs and circumstances.

Extensive literature highlights the distinct problems associated with starvation compared to controlled and well-maintained fasting. I will touch on a few key points to provide you with an overview.

Starvation from severe calorie restriction can increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies. This occurs due to inadequate macronutrients (fats, proteins, or carbs) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) needed for optimal health.

Significant muscle breakdown can occur during starvation as the desperate body utilizes muscle tissue to prioritize brain energy over the muscle mass. This can lead to losing muscle mass, strength, and physical performance.

Additionally, deficiencies in minerals like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium might arise during starvation. These deficiencies can manifest as fatigue, muscle cramps, irregular heartbeat, difficulty concentrating, and even bone density loss.

Unless people have underlying health conditions, these adverse effects are typically not observed during periodic fastings, like time-restricted eating lasting 12 to 16 hours. Consequently, healthy people successfully utilize such practices to improve health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

When approached methodically and with knowledge, fasting can be a powerful tool for healthy people and could benefit metabolically challenged people with professional support and supervision.

However, I want to emphasize that fasting may not suit everyone for various reasons. Professional support and supervision are necessary for those with specific medical conditions or unique circumstances.

6 Compelling Benefits of Fasting Backed Up By Scientific Evidence

Fasting has been studied extensively from multiple angles. I cover them under six headings briefly to give you an idea.

1 — Reduced Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

I start with this one as it is the most researched aspect of fasting and ketosis. Fasting can reduce inflammation even better than some anti-inflammatory drugs thanks to ketone bodies that can interact with genes.

I experienced this by measuring inflammation biomarkers when suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, which I got rid of with healthy lifestyle choices.

β-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB) can downregulate pro-inflammatory cytokines and activate anti-inflammatory pathways, positively impacting inflammatory conditions like arthritis, allergies, and chronic inflammatory diseases.

BHB can modulate the expression of genes regarding oxidative stress and inflammation. Studies indicate that BHB might reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory genes in adipose tissue, muscles, and the liver and contribute to insulin sensitivity.

BHB can increase the expression of the anti-inflammatory gene PPAR-gamma in adipose tissue, muscles, and the liver. PPAR-gamma is a transcription factor. It regulates the expression of genes involved in inflammation and glucose metabolism.

In addition, BHB can interact with genes related to the antioxidant defense system. For example, it can activate the transcription factor Nrf2, a master regulator of the antioxidant response element. This process might reduce the ROS levels, neutralize them, and lower oxidative stress.

BHB might increase the expression of the gene encoding for enzymes like superoxide dismutase and catalase. These enzymes might neutralize reactive oxygen species and prevent oxidative stress, causing chronic inflammation.

I documented the details in an article titled Ketosis Can Lower Chronic Inflammation and Improve Metabolic and Mental Health in 6 Ways

2 — Cellular Repair Iniating Autophagy and Mitophagy

This is my main reason for making intermittent and prolonged fasting a lifestyle. Autophagy is a natural state that happens at the cellular level. It is critical for cellular and mitochondrial health.

When autophagy is compromised, we might become sick as the cells and mitochondria cannot cope with too much harmful molecules caused by internal and external threats.

Fasting triggers a cellular process called autophagy and mitophagy, which involves the removal of damaged proteins, pathogens, and cellular garbage.

Autophagy can clear dysfunctional proteins and organelles, leading to cellular rejuvenation and improved overall health. As discussed in a recent story, a Nobel prize was given to a scientist who articulated the autophagy process.

3 — Weight Loss, Appetite Control, and Metabolic Health

Fasting can promote healthy weight loss or weight management in five ways.

The first obvious one is by controlling caloric intake eating in a specific window.

The second is by boosting metabolism and increasing growth hormone and glucagon but lowering insulin.

The third is mobilizing and utilizing the stored fat as clean energy.

The fourth is clearing the garbage from cells (autophagy), cleaning digestive system, and reducing bloating.

The fifth is lowering inflammation and oxidative stress.

In addition, emerging research published in credible journals like Nature and Cell shows additional benefits of fasting for weight loss.

Fasting can promote adipose thermogenesis and metabolic homeostasis via VEGF-mediated alternative macrophage activation, as documented in this paper on Nature.

Brown fat is advantageous even for obese people. It means more blood flow and more fat burning. So a 2017 study published in Cell confirmed that intermittent fasting promotes white adipose browning and decreases obesity by shaping the gut microbiota.

The most significant metabolic benefit of fasting is to provide enhanced fat-burning while sparing muscles.

Ketosis caused by fasting can boost the utilization of stored body fat for energy, contributing to weight loss, lowering fat percentage, and keeping lean muscles. This was confirmed in a study published in the Journal of Obesity.

Ketosis can enhance insulin sensitivity and make the body more fat-adapted, burning fat and glucose simultaneously, allowing the body to become more flexible metabolically. Hence it can lower insulin resistance causing cardiometabolic and neurodegenerative disorders.

As a by-product of fasting, ketosis can suppress appetite and reduce food cravings, allowing calorie control and better weight management.

4 — Improved Brain Health and Cognitive Function

As documented in Nature in 2021, “Intermittent fasting enhances long-term memory consolidation, adult hippocampal neurogenesis, and expression of longevity gene Klotho.”

As fasting has neuroprotective effects, and it might enhance brain function. It stimulates the growth factors for the survival of neurons.

During my research, I found sufficient evidence for ketosis, particularly β-Hydroxybutyrate, contributing to creating the Brain-Derived Neuro Factor (BDNF).

For example, this paper informs that “the ketone metabolite β-hydroxybutyrate exerts many neuroprotective functions for the brain. Activation of this molecule is essential for neuroplasticity”.

So, going into ketosis by fasting, we can naturally increase BDNF. Increased BDNF levels can improve cognitive function, enhance mood, and protect against neurodegenerative diseases.

Disturbances in brain energy metabolism can have severe consequences, influenced by multiple factors. The brain’s disrupted energy metabolism is a causal factor in progressing metabolic, neurological, and mental disorders affecting millions of people.

Ketones can provide an alternative fuel source for the brain, potentially improving cognitive function and mental clarity.

I documented a summary of my research in an article titled Here’s How Fasting Can Change Brain Chemistry.

5 — Potential Cardiometabolic, Neurodegenerative, and Cancer Prevention and Treatment Support

Fasting is used to prevent and treat cardiometabolic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancers. But as far as I know, starvation is not used as a medical procedure. There might be exceptions that I don’t know.

Fasting is commonly used to reverse type II diabetes by medical doctors like Dr. Jason Fung. It is also used to manage cardiovascular disorders. Here is a video presentation from a famous cardiologist.

As pointed out in this study Ketogenic Diets and Cancer: Emerging Evidence) the use of the keto diet as an adjuvant to cancer therapy began to emerge.

The most significant contributor to fasting is to make the body insulin sensitive, which is a beneficial factor for these disorders. Other benefits are lowering oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. In addition, autophagy and mitophagy can also lower the risks of these diseases.

As documented in this paper, cancer cells are mainly fed by glucose and amino acids such as glutamine. We know that during fasting, glucose and glutamine from proteins substantially decrease. So fasting creates a favorable environment for controlling cancer development.

In addition, the paper informs that “During that same time, Nobel laureate Otto Warburg found that cancer cells thrive on glycolysis, producing high lactate levels, even in the presence of abundant oxygen.”

Warburg conducted many in vitro and animal experiments demonstrating this outcome, known as the Warburg effect.

This paper in Nature informs, “Although genetic alterations dominate the way cancer biologists think about oncogenesis, growing evidence suggests that systemic factors (insulin, estrogen, and inflammatory cytokines) and their intracellular pathways activate oncogenic signals and contribute to targetable phenotypes.”

I summarized my research in an article titled Intermittent Fasting and Keto Diet for Cancer Prevention and Treatment.

6 — Enhanced Autonomic Balance and Potential Lifespan Enhancement

Fasting can regulate the autonomic nervous system, promoting a balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic constituents.

This balance can improve cardiovascular health, reduce blood pressure, and better stress management. It resets circadian rhythm in three ways affecting various genes, as documented in this paper in the journal Cell.

Another study published in BMC Genomics confirmed that “Fasting and time of day independently modulate circadian rhythm relevant gene expression in adipose and skin tissue.”

As documented in this paper, “To prevent a fall in blood glucose during fasting, the counter-regulatory response is activated. An important component of this pathway involves the autonomic nervous system and the release of epinephrine from the adrenal gland.”

Many animal studies linked fasting to an extended lifespan. The key mechanisms are activating longevity-related pathways like sirtuins and AMPK and inhibiting mTOR temporarily to regulate cellular energy metabolism and promote longevity.

You can learn about optimizing AMPK and mTOR from my recent article.

Conclusions and Takeaways

Fasting is a voluntary and intentional practice of abstaining from food.

Starvation is an involuntary and unintentional state of severe malnutrition and depleted fat stores running out of alternative fuel sources forcing the body to break down muscles as a last resort.

As documented in anthropological studies, starvation occurs when a person cannot access food for a long time.

Fasting brings many benefits and is used for therapeutic benefits by medical professionals. However, starvation brings no benefit and is not used for health improvement.

So fasting has nothing to do with starvation, unlike allegations by those without understanding the mechanisms of the metabolic processes and having any experience with fasting.

In addition to daily intermittent fasting with a one-meal-a-day plan, I practice long-term fasting several times a year, as I documented before.

To end my story with a piece of empirical evidence, I want to mention a recent experience with 10-day fasting briefly. One of my physiotherapist friends working in a DEXA scan center gave me two complimentary tickets as I referred them to several clients.

I used one ticket three days before my ten-day fasting and another three days after completing it. To the surprise of the scanning officer, I lost 2% body fat but no muscle loss or gain. My physical and mental energy levels were excellent, and they got better after the prolonged fasting.

He expected some muscle loss as I consumed zero protein and lowered my intense exercises, but I still did moderate daily resistance training. A 10-day fast did not cause starvation and muscle loss but significantly contributed to my desired goals to address some unexpected issues after my Covid infection in 2022.

I do time-restricted eating daily by eating one meal daily, which keeps my body healthy. But only a few prolonged fasting sessions solved the long-term side effects of Covid, so I am grateful for fasting no matter what skeptics say. I will document these details in another story soon.

The key takeaway of this story is to be open to natural therapies and try them with guidance, support, or supervision from experienced and qualified healthcare professionals.

For beginners, I’d like to share a few practical tips.

The most critical point while fasting is to prevent dehydration. Therefore drink enough water with electrolytes.

Learn to turn off the hunger switch.

Take frequent rests and get restorative sleep nightly.

Act mindfully and and meditate for 20 to 30 minutes daily.

Keep a diary of your thoughts and emotions regularly.

Aim to get a fat-adapted state gradually. Once the body learn to swithc fat burnign mode, fasting can be a second nature.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

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