Fasting for a week:
- Causes significant changes in protein levels across various organs.
- May have health benefits beyond weight loss, but only after 3 days.
- Switches energy source from glucose to fat after 2-3 days.
- Average weight loss of 5.7 kg (fat and muscle), with most fat loss sustained after 3 days of eating.
Implications:
- Provides insights into the molecular basis of fasting’s health effects.
- Paves the way for developing alternative treatments based on fasting benefits.
- Confirms historical use of fasting for specific health conditions.
5.7 kilo in three days? That sounds pretty bad (as in dangerous).
Not to mention these results could provide some very dangerous ideas to those with eating disorders (diagnosed or not). Losing 5.7kg (12lb) in three days sounds insanely dangerous. Going for very long is hella dangerous because you’re not getting necessary nutrition. That’s why there’s a minimum calorie intake for dieting and it is dangerous to go below that.
Yeah as someone who is working on building a healthier relationship with food, this struck me too. It’s absolutely super tempting to lose a lot of weight fast, but I’m firm in my belief that if I want to have results that stick, my attitude towards food needs to change. It’s honestly going really well too.
I am genuinely glad to hear that! Because I know it is really hard (from experience; still working on it)
I’ve a feeling it’s probably a thing that one will have to remain cognisant of indefinitely. I’m just glad it’s a fucked up relationship with food rather than something like a sugar addiction, because that seems really tough to handle. Best of luck to us both, I’m sure we can do it! 🥳
Yes we can!
Since it looks like you didn’t read the article. It’s not a 3 day study. 5.8 kg in 3 days is terrifying but it’s not what happened.
Researchers followed 12 healthy volunteers taking part in a seven-day water-only fast. The volunteers were monitored closely on a daily basis to record changes in the levels of around 3,000 proteins in their blood before, during, and after the fast. By identifying which proteins are involved in the body’s response, the researchers could then predict potential health outcomes of prolonged fasting by integrating genetic information from large-scale studies.
Medical professional here. This is crazy. This is starving your body, I do not recommend.
But what about the potential health benefits?
The body believes it is starving after 24 hours and begins to eat itself. The risks far outweigh the benefits. Have to lose weight the real way, diet and exercise.
Damn it.
Researchers followed 12 healthy volunteers taking part in a seven-day water-only fast. The volunteers were monitored closely on a daily basis to record changes in the levels of around 3,000 proteins in their blood before, during, and after the fast. By identifying which proteins are involved in the body’s response, the researchers could then predict potential health outcomes of prolonged fasting by integrating genetic information from large-scale studies.
Researchers followed 12 healthy volunteers taking part in a seven-day water-only fast. The volunteers were monitored closely on a daily basis to record changes in the levels of around 3,000 proteins in their blood before, during, and after the fast. By identifying which proteins are involved in the body’s response, the researchers could then predict potential health outcomes of prolonged fasting by integrating genetic information from large-scale studies.
The article says it was “fat and lean mass” not water weight. And while the “lean mass” (which I guess could be water) retuned after eating again, the “fat mass” did not.
You will drop a bunch of water at the start if you are eating carbs beforehand because of the water holding the glycogen in your muscles. As you use the glycogen the water holding it also goes, so it isn’t fat loss, just water weight.
The volunteers lost an average of 5.7 kg of both fat mass and lean mass. After three days of eating after fasting, the weight stayed off – the loss of lean was almost completely reversed, but the fat mass stayed off.
Yes, correct, so a smaller portion is fat loss but not the full 5.7kg average. I should have been clearer, they did lose a meaningful amount of weight and it does seem to be beneficial, but it is not 5.7kg of fat loss per person on average, it is a loss of 5.7kg average mass with a portion of that being actual body fat.
Right, that makes sense.
Wait you mean no water? Don’t you die of dehydration? That doesn’t sound good.
No no, they are saying that you’ll lose a bunch of water weight. As far as I know you generally regain that quite easily once you start eating again.
Personally I subscribe to the idea of calories in < calories out. Sustainable weight loss requires good habits and a healthy relationship with food.
Researchers followed 12 healthy volunteers taking part in a seven-day water-only fast. The volunteers were monitored closely on a daily basis to record changes in the levels of around 3,000 proteins in their blood before, during, and after the fast. By identifying which proteins are involved in the body’s response, the researchers could then predict potential health outcomes of prolonged fasting by integrating genetic information from large-scale studies.
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I can’t imagine not eating for three whole days. I’d be a groveling mess switching between begging for food and raging at every little thing. How do people do this comfortably? Atleast without breaking the china?
Is there a way to train yourself vis a vis slowly building tolerance or something?
Hunger is entirely a hormonal thing. It’s basically a form of anxiety your body induces to make you want to eat. After about 18 hours without food your body switches itself into different hormone state where you just don’t experience hunger the same way.
I have done it quite a few times its actually not that bad. The first 24 hours is usually the worst and then the hunger goes away most of the time. You get reminders that you are hungry but it doesn’t last. Its no where near as bad as people think it is from the first hunger pangs you just have to get over that initial hump.
The biggest secret to losing weight is literally to just be hungry. Once you feel hunger, that’s your body telling you that you are running a calorie deficit.
Yeah… At one point I forgot what that feeling was. Was just a weird feeling, “what this?.. Oh wait… Dude this is ‘hunger’ wtf?!”
Needless to say, I’m overweight again.
You could do what I just did and get a horrible stomach bug that leaves you in bed for four days dreading the thought of food and barely able to suck down half a glass of water! -5/10 would recommend active effort to avoid.
RIP myself, silver lining though lmao
Edit: I did lose ~10lbs though likely a fair amount is water weight
Y’all need to read. NlThis was not a 3 day study:
Researchers followed 12 healthy volunteers taking part in a seven-day water-only fast. The volunteers were monitored closely on a daily basis to record changes in the levels of around 3,000 proteins in their blood before, during, and after the fast. By identifying which proteins are involved in the body’s response, the researchers could then predict potential health outcomes of prolonged fasting by integrating genetic information from large-scale studies.
The only time I’ve gone that long without eating was when I was stressed beyond belief. It was excruciating and I cannot imagine doing that willingly.
Anything but diet and exercise
I mean, not eating is a diet? This seems to be directly addressing one part of that equation: you don’t even ‘need’ exercise for simple fat loss. Though of course an actual balance you can keep up perpetually is much better, but this definitely directly touches diet.
I can agree with that. Seems unsustainable to me though.
I can’t imagine human diets used to be as predictable as they are now, especially in winter. Attempting a diet that includes fasting doesnt seem unreasonable as part of a larger plan.
At least we now get to decide when to stop fasting :)
I’ve heard on quite a few shows that exercising doesn’t actually do much for losing weight. It’s healthy for you but not a good way to lose weight, apparently. Pretty interesting.
I lost 60lbs by sitting on my ass playing video games, counting calories (1500-1800 + one cheat day per week).
Agreed. You can’t outrun the fork, however good habits stack on each other and there’s a lot to be said about mental health benefits. They tend to go hand in hand.
