The Humanistic Science of Fasting

It was two years ago, twenty-five-year-old American, Alex Allen moved from his small town to San Francisco. He was a software engineer and got a job in a big city in America. He liked the mild climate of San Francisco. Then the city was also the center of cultural activities. He quickly got used to his new country.

But one problem continued to haunt Alex. He was fond of food and drink. This passion made him fat and fresh. It is said that obesity is the root of a hundred diseases. As a result, Alex often suffered from lethargy, fatigue and some minor illness. He was not enjoying life to the fullest.

In the new office he met a Muslim colleague who was very lively. The two soon became friends. Meanwhile, the blessed month of Ramadan arrived and Muslim friends started fasting. Alex did not know much about Ramadan and fasting. The Muslim friend told him about the medical and spiritual properties of fasting. And also suggested that he should fast throughout the day and take food in the evening in order to regain health by losing weight and getting rid of obesity.

Alex knew that many Americans would starve for a period of time and then eat. These Americans claimed that this method provided them with valuable medical and spiritual benefits. And now the Muslim friend said that Muslims have kept this healthy method for the last fourteen centuries. Allah and the Prophet ﷺ ordered them to adopt this practice, so there will be some useful and purposeful wisdom in it.

On the suggestion and insistence of a Muslim friend, he also started fasting. It means that he used to have breakfast in the morning and then remained hungry and thirsty for fourteen hours. Alex did this process for three weeks. Meanwhile, the American teenager’s weight dropped from two hundred pounds to one hundred and eighty five pounds. The weight loss wasn’t much, but Alex felt lighter than before. The lethargy decreased and the palpitation also went away. He was so impressed with the Islamic method of fasting that he began to follow it for a couple of weeks every month.

Today, Alex weighs 160 pounds and is physically and mentally fitter than ever. He is very grateful to his Muslim friend for enlightening him about the practice of fasting. And this act became the means of giving him the great blessing of health. Alex wants to continue this practice for the rest of his life.

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Staying hungry and thirsty for some time is an ancient tradition. In ancient times, intelligent people used this practice. Then Jews, Buddhists, Christians and Hindus religiously started to stay hungry and thirsty for some days. But Islam is the first religion in which a month’s fasting was imposed on the followers. As if arrangements were made to ensure their physical and spiritual well-being. Thus, Ramadan is a special attribute of Islam.

The question is, does modern medical science confirm the benefits associated with fasting? Modern medical research answers this question in the affirmative. The fact is that medical scientists have discovered benefits that were previously unknown to man through their research and experiments. For example, the first important point is that fasting increases human age. Secondly, the mental abilities of a person become powerful. These are two major benefits of fasting.

Increase in age

Professor Walter Longo is a biologist at the University of Southern California, USA. They have been researching fasting for a long time. Says, “Fasting is an innate (or built-in) system in the human body. With the help of this system, the human body gets rid of toxic elements and waste. Modern man eats and drinks all the time. That is why this system has become inactive now.

According to experts, a human is a collection of more than “three hundred and seventy trillion” cells. These cells follow the instructions of genes. Professor Walter Longo’s research on fasting revealed that when the human body is starved and deprived of calories, genes are activated that tell cells to shut down in order to conserve resources. can This means that the cells become static instead of dividing and growing.

The process of cells stopping their traditional activities due to lack of food and water is called “autophagy” in scientific terms. By entering this process, no disease can affect the cells. Also, they are protected from stress and inflammation, which are elements that cause aging in humans. Instead, the cells begin to repair the damaged parts of the organ. Also, they expel the cellular waste that has accumulated in the human body.

In all mammals, including humans, the amount of a hormone, IGF-1, decreases during starvation. This hormone helps young boys and girls grow taller and stronger. But if its amount increases in adults, the risk of getting cancer increases, and aging also starts early. As if its deficiency increases age.

Improvement of mental abilities

Professor Mark Mattson (Mark Mattson) is a famous neuroscientist associated with John Hopkins University in the United States. He says, “When a person abstains from food and drink for twelve hours or more, the glycogen in his body decreases. It is a type of sugar (glucose) that cells use as fuel. After the depletion of glycogen, the cells begin to use stored fat (or fat) in the human body as fuel to continue their functions.

When fat is consumed, a special type of molecule or molecule, ketone, is produced in the human body. These are energy-providing molecules that our liver makes. We have found from research and experiments that when the human body starts using fat as fuel and produces ketones, this change gives the person health and especially increases his mental abilities.

The reason is that a type of ketone called “BHB” (beta-hydroxybutyrate) makes the brain its home. It means that it becomes abundant in the brain. Ketone type improves human memory and learning ability. Also, the process of autophagy helps in giving birth. Due to this type, our brain produces brain power enhancing neurons or brain cells.

The most important of these brain cells is BDNF (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor). It is created by the hippocampus, the memory center of our brain. BDNF is a protein substance that sharpens our memory. It enhances our ability to learn. It also improves our mood.

This is the reason, people (and animals too) who are hungry and thirsty for several hours, they become more alert, fresh and alert than before. They have a quick thinking ability. The senses begin to function better. They get rid of laziness and frustration. If a person continues to eat and drink throughout the day, he does not get these benefits.

Experts consider ketones to be the mystery of the human body. That is why research and experiments are ongoing on these molecules. For example, it was recently discovered that animals that suffered brain injuries and had their bodies produce ketones recovered quickly. Ketones seem to trigger brain trauma, disease, etc.

Other medical benefits

In the 21st century, medical experts began to investigate the medical benefits of fasting for thirty consecutive days. His research and experiments have highlighted the following benefits of fasting in addition to increasing age and mental abilities:

* Weight loss occurs, thereby getting rid of obesity. The digestive system improves. Physical inflammation is reduced. Reduces the level of fat in the body and makes the heart healthy.

But the fasting person gets all these medical benefits only when he eats good food in Suhr and Iftar. A diet that contains moderate amounts of fat, salt and sugar. An excess of these items negates most of the benefits of fasting. So moderation is the best way of life to achieve eternal wealth of health.