The growing trend of "fasting" around the world
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a growing trend around the world, in which people either fast for seven to twenty-four hours, eat light meals after short breaks, or live only on water and fruits. Among Muslims, this break in eating is called “SIAM,” which they observe on different days of the year. Muslims, in particular, fast with great respect and observance throughout the month of Ramadan, which holds a special place in terms of controlling physical desires and hunger.
Fasting in Different Religions and Nations
Fasting has been practiced in some form or another in different nations and religions around the world. Whether they are monks or bhikkhus, sadhus, or Sufis, they spend many days in caves, mountains, and forests without eating or drinking anything for the sake of spiritual purity or peace of mind. From this perspective, people of every religion and school of thought in the world maintain their physical and mental health by following the principle of "eating less is better." However, the trend of intermittent fasting or starvation that is being seen in the modern era has not been seen before.
The Theory of Autophagy
In fact, scientists and medical experts have concluded after various experiments that the less a person eats or the longer the gap between meals, the more the body will benefit from a medical point of view. Such experiments had been going on for many years, but the debate on it increased, and it became more accepted when, in 2016, a Japanese scientist, Yoshinori Ohsumi, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
The theory he presented is also called “Autophagy”, in which various experiments have proven that if a person remains hungry for a long time, healthy human cells start making harmful cells their food or positive changes start occurring in the shape of the cells. You can say in simple words that this is a natural process in which ineffective cells start eating themselves during hunger. “Autophagy” is a Greek word which means eating oneself. Under this theory called Autophagy, human cells develop this feature in a state of hunger that, after destroying harmful cells, makes them more efficient, and thus, human cells perform better than before and expel harmful cells from the body.
A Natural Method of Cleaning the Body by Itself
This natural method of cleaning begins when cells are deprived of food or are under stress. Scientists are now examining this natural mechanism for the treatment of various diseases. They also describe this process as a natural process of the body, in which the body demonstrates the ability to make old and damaged cells functional again. Human cells are actually the basic building blocks of every tissue and organ of the human body, while each tissue has multiple parts that help it function at all times.
When these parts stop working, then these cells become like a piece of junk. The process of Autophagy, that is, fasting, creates the power in the cells to make the ineffective cells functional again. In short, fasting or eating after long intervals naturally starts the process of cleaning the ineffective cells in human cells.
More experiments are currently being conducted on this theory, and its effectiveness in various diseases, including cancer, is being evaluated. However, initial experiments have definitely proven that nature has placed the ability to heal itself in human cells, and this healing process becomes faster when a person is hungry for some time or, in other words, fasts. Now, the question is how this process of natural cell cleaning can start.
Experts have declared fasting for 24 to 48 hours necessary for this. In early experiments, scientists found Autophagy (eating at specific intervals) to be more beneficial than chemotherapy during cancer treatment, which significantly reduced the side effects of chemotherapy, while medical experts have now also found this process of fasting to be beneficial for heart disease and diabetes.
Provided that this process is carried out under the supervision of a qualified physician, only physicians can guide the extent to which food can be avoided and which foods can be taken that do not affect the body's immune system. Fasting is also considered useful for increasing mental health and immunity.
When scientists from various fields presented the theory that fasting for 24 hours or a longer period causes positive changes in human cells and that ineffective cells automatically die or take on a new form and become healthy through the natural recycling process, the trend of fasting became a craze for the public, especially people suffering from various diseases.
40 International Studies and Various Health Apps
According to experts, there have been 40 international studies on intermittent fasting in the world, which have shown that eating after a long break can help speed up the healing process of cancer, lose weight, and control sugar. This trend is likely to increase by 15% in the next 6 years. A survey also found that 10% of Americans aged 18 to 80 practice fasting.
Also, it is a very popular trend on various apps, and on Instagram alone, an average of 52 posts are made about it in an hour. Intermittent fasting and diet changes are more popular among middle-aged men and women. Experts say that one of the reasons why fasting is popular in the world is that eating intermittently or changing it is under the control of the person, especially among those who are losing weight because if people approach large organizations for weight loss, they usually confuse them with complicated procedures, difficult tasks of diet changes and also make them use some medicines, the side effects of which are very harmful.
Thus, people get stuck in the cycle of reducing calories, while fasting does not require much hesitation, and positive changes in eating habits are within the person’s control. In this regard, an American magazine has written under the title “Fasting on Rise” that “Fasting (or fasting) for mental and physical health is nothing new.
Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and Indian Saints Have Been Practicing This Method for Centuries
Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and Indian saints have been practicing this method for centuries, but now the practice of fasting has gone beyond religious rituals, instructions, and procedures and has come under the purview of everyone, and now there is no restriction of religion, color, or race. Patients are using it to recover from diseases, while famous personalities associated with showbiz are trying it to keep themselves fit or for weight management.”
A Global Survey of 2022
A global survey showed that by 2022, 80% of people around the world were familiar with the concept of fasting, which can be estimated as to how common this practice has become. With the growing trend of fasting, research and research reports on its benefits are also gaining momentum. According to a 2022 global survey, 80% of volunteers said that they felt less hungry after fasting.
In these survey reports, fasting was also found to be very useful in diabetes and a 4.6% reduction in fasting glucose levels was observed, while a decrease in insulin resistance was also noted. In addition to controlling blood sugar, fasting has also been shown to be helpful in preventing heart disease, weight loss, and some chronic diseases. It even helps prevent aging.
Another survey found that fasting significantly improves sleep. In this regard, 23% of volunteers in a study of 12 disciplines said that they started sleeping much better than before. Diabetics benefited from this by losing weight, which reduced the problems caused by obesity. According to the American Journal, in 2019, intermittent fasting was the most searched term on Google, food, and diet, which shows how aware people are or want to be about their health and diet.
Although it was later replaced by the term Keto Diet, fasting searches continued to be a top trend in the coming years. According to Google’s 2022 report, the United States topped the list of fasting posts in the world. This was followed by Chile, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. An interesting aspect of this research is that a large number of people from Tanzania and South Africa also expressed deep interest in this topic. The survey also revealed that the number of people researching this topic fluctuated.
Mobile Apps Named Zero Fasting Tracker, Fastient, and Fast Habit Are Guiding The Public Regarding Fasting
Sometimes, interest in it increased by 100 percent, then after a few months, it decreased by 25 percent. Another aspect of interest in fasting is that dozens of mobile phone apps have come into existence on this topic, which has made this topic or process accessible to almost every educated person. According to research by Market Watch, interest in it will increase further in the coming years, and men and women will be seen relying on fasting instead of medicine to solve their physical and mental problems. Even now, apps such as Zero Fasting Tracker, Fastient, and Fast Habit are guiding the public. These apps have also compiled several research reports through their users. Research was also conducted, and data from 26 million people was collected.
According to the report, the most encouraging results of fasting were seen in terms of weight loss. Experiments conducted on mice years ago proved that if they are given a low-calorie diet, their lifespan increases. Now, experiments conducted on humans have also proven to be encouraging and it has been found that fasting has positive effects on the body’s metabolism. Also, this practice has proven to be very useful in terms of controlling blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Long story short, as the research process progresses, many hidden secrets associated with fasting are also becoming clear.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) Informed The World About the benefits Of Fasting Centuries Ago
Renowned religious scholar Maulana Mujibur Rahman, while discussing fasting from a religious perspective, said, “Islam is a complete code of life, and no other system is able to provide an example of it. Today, scientists are bringing forward research on fasting or limited starvation; our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) informed the world about its benefits centuries ago. The guiding principles and rules that you (PBUH) laid down for living are for the rest of the world.
Islamic teachings clearly state that if there is always some hunger, then refrain from eating and that it is comfortable to eat less. Similarly, instructions such as drinking water in three breaths, eating slowly, chewing thoroughly, washing hands before eating, making small bites, not eating very hot food or blowing on it to cool it down have been given, which are now proving to be beneficial for human health even on the test of science.
Similarly, fasting has been declared very beneficial for mental and physical health. Anyway, the importance of scientific research has its place, but if we follow Islamic teachings in the matter of food and nutrition, then who knows how many benefits we will get, the secrets of which will take a long time for science to reach.
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