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Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

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Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#41
post #38

The most shocking thing (when I fasted for 5 days) occurred when I broke the fast. I broke it with 4 ounces of liquid (50% watermelon (straight from the fruit) + 50% water), only to have it come right back out 15-30 minutes later-- just as red as it was when it went it. It was mind boggling. I suppose I had gone my entire life thinking what comes out was always supposed to be brown, but when I looked in the toilet, a…

You didn't consume anything but water for five consecutive days? I also don't undertake what you mean by, "I wasn't very toxic."

Yea. It was fairly uneventful. The first day or two I was hungry, but it was mild. Perhaps it was easy, as my eating habits left me naturally in intermittent fasting mode (I'd eat lunch at 1pm, dinner at 8pm, then nothing else).

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#42
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

About 3 years ago, I undertook a water fast that lasted about 17 days. It does take a lot of mental preparation. Nutrition wise, I ate only fruits for about a week before the fast. The first few days were very hard, but then I simply did not feel hunger at all. I intended to continue the fast for 30 days. But from about the 4th day onwards my mouth started having an awful odour and my tongue had a thick white coating…

You still have to brush your teeth when fasting. Scrape all that plaque biofilm off your tongue. Plaque bacteria feed on all sorts of nutrients in your mouth and in your saliva, not just food residue.

It is not like I didn't brush my teeth. But the layer on the tongue was about 1mm thick, maybe more, and no amount of brushing it would remove it. It would only make my tongue hurt after a while, so i went back to regular brushing. Ketones may be the answer as the other reply explains, but one thing is for sure, having that foul smell in my tongue and nose at the same time 24 hours a day for 2 weeks is no party.

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#43

If I were to fast for that long, should I ingest anything other than water? Some vitamin supplements for example? Or maybe a bit of salt? Or is it really only water?

Ingesting anything will ruin the fast. Even brushing your teeth becomes tricky, as toothpaste can ruin everything. I ended up using a salt water solution (and an electric tooth brush) to do the job, but in hindsight, I could've used something like ToothSoap. It's extremely important to rinse the mouth thoroughly, so you don't swallow anything. It is possible to run low on vitamins (depending on how long you go). If i…

and whats wrong with eating too much - I understand that you say breaking the fast is important ... but why?

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#44
In my own experience day 3 of a water fast had profound effect on my health. I have some health issues so I closely monitor my blood pressure and blood sugar. On the morning of the fourth day my blood pressure and blood sugar would drop tremendously and stay normal for several months. ymmv

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#45
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You weren't very toxic?

I didn't have a lot of toxins stored in my fat cells, as I was reasonably healthy prior to the fast. Some people have a lot of "bad stuff" which will enter their bloodstream when their body breaks down adipose for fuel. They tend to be better served by starting with a juice fast, then building up to a full on water fast. It's easy to tell if you're among them, as you'll have severe "detox" symptoms a day or two into…

> Some people have a lot of "bad stuff" which will enter their bloodstream when their body breaks down adipose for fuel. [...] you'll have severe "detox" symptoms a day or two into the fast.

Your body doesn't work that way. "Detoxing diets" are pure superstition – which toxins are those supposed to be anyway?

From [1]: "The 'toxins' usually remain undefined, with little to no evidence of toxic accumulation in the patient." This fits your claims perfectly...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detoxification_(alternative_me...

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#48
post #17

I tried searching for the original article, but this is the closest I could find that had a better writeup than from the telegraph: https://news.usc.edu/63669/fasting-triggers-stem-cell-regene... This is the most relevant summary: "In both mice and a Phase 1 human clinical trial involving patients receiving chemotherapy, long periods of not eating significantly lowered white blood cell counts. In mice, fasting cycles…

> I'll pass on this intermittent fasting "fad" for now!

It's amazing how people are prone to experiment with this type of things. They're willing to undergo a very unpleasant experience because it might (unlikely) give them a (slight) health improvement.

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#49
post #38

The most shocking thing (when I fasted for 5 days) occurred when I broke the fast. I broke it with 4 ounces of liquid (50% watermelon (straight from the fruit) + 50% water), only to have it come right back out 15-30 minutes later-- just as red as it was when it went it. It was mind boggling. I suppose I had gone my entire life thinking what comes out was always supposed to be brown, but when I looked in the toilet, a…

You didn't consume anything but water for five consecutive days? I also don't undertake what you mean by, "I wasn't very toxic."

> You didn't consume anything but water for five consecutive days?

Unpleasant at first but not dangerous to healthy individuals. As someone pointed out: if we wasn't capable of doing that we would likely have been extinct long ago.

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#50

If I were to fast for that long, should I ingest anything other than water? Some vitamin supplements for example? Or maybe a bit of salt? Or is it really only water?

I modelled my recent 4-day fast on Dr Michael Mosley's Horizon programme [0] in which he eats nothing but a miso soup (under 50 calories) per day and drinks nothing but water. Miso soup has the added benefit of sodium and other electrolytes without any caloric impact.

I personally supplemented my water intake with peppermint tea as that has an incredibly low nutritional footprint and does not contain any extra substances such as caffeine. It's surprising how 'clinical' drinking cold water can feel after a couple of days.

Others here are saying absolutely water only. It would be really interesting for me to find out the effects of these before I fast again, as I am likely to do before the end of the year.

I also found the below article really helpful in giving me an overview.[1]

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[0] - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lxyzc

[1] - http://www.yogicwayoflife.com/three-day-water-fast-and-its-b...

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