Monthly Fasting Reduces Heart Risk

Researchers at the University of Utah have found that patients with heart problems might benefit from staying away from food occasionally. They found that skipping one meal every month can reduce the build up of cholesterol in the arteries.

The observations were made by a team led by Dr. Benjamin Horne, a heart disease researcher at the University of Utah. Involving 515 test subjects, the study found that people who skipped at least one meal every month were 40% less likely to have clogged arteries compared to those who did not miss a single meal.

The researchers found fasting to be the only thing producing significant differences in heart conditions. 59% of the study subjects who fasted were found to have heart disease compared to 67% of the subject who did not fast at all.

Most of the volunteers in the study were Mormons – residents of Utah – who observe a one-day fast every month as part of their religion. The researchers found 61% of Mormons to have heart disease, a lower number compared to the 66% of non-Mormons who were found to be heart patients.

Despite their findings, the researchers acknowledge that they do not have solid proof that fasting is beneficial to the heart. At the same time, they also believe their findings help formulate a theory on fasting that can be tested through further studies.

“It might suggest these are people who just control eating habits better,” Dr. Horne said, while noting that the practice also extended to other aspects of the lifestyles of the study subjects and promoted healthy living.

In Dr. Horne’s opinion, the reason behind the lower clogging of arteries might lie in the fact that the body has to turn to fat reserves for needed calories when a person is fasting. This using up of fat reserves also reduces the risk of diabetes as patients are less exposed to sugar, which requires insulin production for metabolism.

He however warned diabetics from going into fasting based on just these findings as sudden fasting might cause dangerous changes in their blood sugar levels.

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