in my opinion, Fasting is the greatest discovery of modern society. You can create a quality of mitochondria. Fasting can prevent premature aging and death, active sirtuin longevity genes, and better expression of “BDNF” protein, improving cognition.
Researchers from the University of Southern California examined the effects of fasting on neurons in mice and humans with multiple sclerosis in a new study. They discovered that a fasting-like diet improved myelin repair.
In mice, fasting triggered autophagy, killing the bad cells. Dry fasting or Absolute Fasting is undoubtedly the most superior form of cleansing, especially autophagy. It’s said that one-day water fast is as effective as three-day water fast or a six-day juice fast. What makes it so powerful?
- Fasting your body will also result in many hormonal reactions. One of the primary effects is that your body will begin to secrete a massive amount of higher growth hormone levels. Growth hormone is often referred to as “the fat-burning hormone.”
- According to research, adopting a calorie-restricted diet or one that simulates fasting suppresses mTOR, increasing the sort of cells that assist fight inflammation.
- Dry fasting increases Ketones and leads to an increase in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate hydrogen (NADPH). This powerful metabolic co-factor makes it easier for your body to bring antioxidants back to life by giving an important reducing electron. It gives them electrons to help reduce the amount of oxidative stress.
Why is Autophagy So Important To Brain Health?
If autophagy doesn’t work right, proteins called alpha-synuclein can move from the brain to the gut along the vagus nerve. Increased expression of alpha-synuclein proteins inhibits the release of neurotransmitters(such as dopamine, acetylcholine, Glutamate, and GABA), and autophagy may be a beneficial treatment option for neurodegeneration because it eliminates old cells and helps new ones grow and protect against brain damage.
That’s why suppression of insulin and mTOR through OMAD, dry fasting, or intermittent fasting are important steps in autophagy, brain cell generation, and neurotransmitter protection.
Related: Does Autophagy Make You Look Younger?
Stimulating Autophagy by Fasting inhibits tumor growth by eliminating damaged organelles/unfolded proteins. This is because Autophagy suppresses p53 genes(which promotes tumor growth) and eventually prevents tissue degeneration.
In this article, we will cover the health benefits of dry fasting.
Alpha-synuclein is a presynaptic protein linked neuropathologically and genetically to Parkinson’s disease.
Dry fasting calms inflammation and slows free radical production, boosting cognitive performance and delaying brain aging.
Our Body Makes Its Water
Although you are not drinking throughout the fast, your body attempts to produce its metabolic water. How?
As a result of the fat burned during the fast, when you fast, hydrogen from metabolized fat interacts with oxygen from the air to form water.
Unlike the water you drink, the metabolic water produced by your cells is of exceptional quality. It erases any bad information imprint that the body had before the fast, allowing cells to experience rebirth by absorbing any available water from the air and giving it to healthy cells.
This is the primary healing mechanism of dry fasting, and it does not exist in any other type of fasting.
Toxins Are Destroyed (burned) Rather Than Flushed Out By The Urine, Colon, Kidneys, Liver, And Skin.
When cells are dehydrated, they act like heating systems and burn the toxic issue.
These weaker cells are losing the race for the little water because they are sick or just not as strong.
During a dry fast, the body takes carbon dioxide and nitrogen from the air to make its amino acids.
Since there is no water to flush out the body’s toxins, they are eliminated by a unique process that isn’t used during other types of fasting. So, each cell becomes its furnace, burning off its waste.
Strongest Cells And Mitochondria
Autophagy is a catabolic pathway that makes you break down old cells. And fasting is so hard on the body that only the strongest and healthiest cells survive.
Yet, this will helps cysts and benign tumors go away because of a process called autolysis, in which the body kills its sickest cells to keep itself alive.
Good news: Only healthy, strong cells can survive a dry fast, and even a short-term dry fast can be a powerful way to prevent cancer.
Good news2: Fasting increases mRNA and protein expression directly correlated to longevity, preventing cancer and cells. A study found 24-h fasting in mice increased mRNA and protein expression of both SIRT1, leading to controlling the progression of chronic inflammatory and metabolic diseases as well as cancer. (source)
Be careful; Excessive autophagy may cause muscle and lean tissue loss, which promotes premature aging. Although you’re causing protein breakdown, autophagy is needed for muscle homeostasis. You need to activate anabolic pathways like mTOR and insulin to build new tissue and keep your cells alive.
Ketones For Brain, Body, And Cells For FUEL
During fasting or intense carbohydrate restriction, the liver breaks down fatty acids to start making ketone bodies. These water-soluble molecules are the best fuel for our mitochondria, much better than sugar. You are in a state of ketosis when your mitochondria use ketones as fuel to make ATP.
Dry fasting will make ketones faster. Why do I like The Ketones?
Because Ketones also help Ketones significantly suppress intracellular β-amyloid (Aβ) accumulation and improve learning and memory function via promoting BNDF protein(source)
Ketones also stop inflammatory pathways from working, which helps a lot against COVID-19 and other viral infections. A cyclical ketogenic diet and taking C8 (caprylic acid) MCT oil are two ways to increase the number of endogenous ketones in your body.
More: The Fastest and Most Effective Way to Get New Brain Cells
This is a high-performance state (but one you might not want to be in all the time). It makes your mitochondria produce more energy, reduces the number of free radicals you make, and makes you make more of the important neurotransmitter GABA. I’ll talk about the different ways to get into ketosis.
Ketosis elevates the levels of GABA and antioxidants, which helps keep seizures from happening. It doesn’t hurt that your mitochondria make ATP more efficiently from ketones than glucose, causing less oxidative stress and giving your neurons more energy to control excitotoxicity.
Dry fasting heals one from High Levels of Radiation Exposure
Potassium iodide (KI) is a type of iodine that can be used to stop the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine (I-131) by blocking it. However, you can optimize your “detox”, and “protect” your DNA from high levels of radiation exposure.
The fasting process enhances the mechanisms for expelling toxic substances that interfere with the body’s proper functioning—radionuclides, nitrates, pesticides, heavy metals, and other poisons.
Fasting regularly also aids in the restoration of the protective activities of cells and organs against radiation damage. This is especially significant for individuals who live or work in urban areas. Where one is routinely exposed to radiation or has been exposed to radiation
In the event of cancer, you may be exposed to radiation. Treatment. Dry fasting may be beneficial in terms of healing due to the negative effects of chemotherapy treatment.
Fasting also protects against DNA damage and improves longevity genes such as Sirtuin’s expression. (source)
Why Boosting NAD+ Levels Is Important For Longevity Like Fasting
Fasting can increase certain gene that helps to regulate inflammations and activate the autophagy and longevity genes.
However, when it comes to longevity, Niacinamide is a precursor to NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), a vital signaling molecule thought to play a role in longevity. Niacinamide is the best single NAD+ precursor, which is reason enough to learn more about it, but niacinamide, also known as nicotinamide (NAM), is also valuable in its own right.
Related: Does Intermittent Fasting Increase Longevity?
How to Raise Your NAD+ Levels Naturally?
- Physical exercise — NAMPT is naturally increased by activating AMPK, which raises NAD+.
- Fasting or time-restricted eating — Naturally increases NAMPT by activating AMPK, increasing NAD+.
- Circadian rhythm optimization, If you want to increase your NAMPT, it’s best to avoid blue light after sunset and go to bed at sundown. Close the phones before bed, and avoid EMFs in the form of your cell phone, Wi-Fi, and other forms of DNA damaging radiation as much as possible.
More information: The Reasons You Should Work On Your Sleep
What Happens While Dry Fasting State?
During a fast, the liver takes about 10-12 hours to use up all its sugar storage. When the cells are finally done with digestion and the sugar storage is used up, the body starts burning stored fat and produces ketone bodies.
- The liver uses up all its sugar reserves during a fast in approximately 12-14 hours.
- When the cells have finished used and the sugar reserve has been depleted, the body begins to burn stored fat and creates ketone bodies.
- Free hydrogen molecules are released when your body enters a ketosis condition. As previously stated, these hydrogen molecules subsequently connect with the oxygen molecules in the blood, resulting in the formation of water (H2O) internally.
This water is called “metabolic water,” which helps us hydrate. Our body can create a liter of metabolized water every day. ,
This shallow water is the best pure water because it’s out of toxins. Also, this water feeds our strong, healthy cells, and damaged cells, as well as various bacteria, viruses, and parasites, suffer from a lack of water and die.
The Main Benefits of Dry Fasting
The body has a stronger immune response and fights inflammations more aggressively during dry fasting. Water is the source of all inflammations.
Damaged cells, bacteria, viruses, and parasites suffer from a lack of water and die.
During dry fasting, people may often have a good fever, which indicates that the body is fighting infections.
Each cell in the body is turned into a kind of small furnace or reactor, and the toxins inside it are destroyed. If a cell is too damaged, it is eliminated.
The increase in body temperature leads to a strong immunological response. The concentration of biologically active substances in bodily fluids also increases. These include immunoglobulins and immunocompetent cells.
As a result:
- Interferon production (an antibody in response to the virus) rises.
- Antitumour and antiviral signaling and activity for better immune.
- T-lymphocytes proliferate.
- Bactericidal capacity and phagocytic activity of neutrophils increase.
- Cytotoxic effect of lymphocytes increases.
- The growth of microorganisms and their toxicity decreases. Prolonged fast also improves ghrelin and balances blood sugar problems.
Better self-control: Dry fasting improves self-control as well. We learn to say ‘no’ to the body’s most fundamental and overwhelming yearning when we fast. Simply said, if you can master your body’s fundamental drive for food, you can master your body’s want for everything.
Fasting takes you out of your food prison, strengthening you physically and mentally. It empowers you from other people’s judgments about how you should feel and how your body feels. It will help you be your best self and live your best life.
Meditation Lower Inflammation, Improves Longevity And Gut
Meditation Turns Off “Bad” Genes, supports longevity genes such as telomeres and DNA methylation level.
Meditation has altered more than 1,000 genes, reducing the protein complex arsonist NF-KB, which is responsible for autoimmune and inflammatory illnesses, including diabetes and Crohn’s disease,
In a 2017 meta-analysis of 45 trials, several additional studies have examined mindfulness meditation’s neurological benefits. According to a study, Meditation lowered cortisol, C-reactive protein, blood pressure, heart rate, lipids, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. (source)
Low-level cortisol can directly influence and change inflammation biomarkers that are important for rejuvenation, cell health, longevity, and aging.
Dry fasting Causes The Body To Produce More Ketones
Cancer cells cannot metabolize ketones unless they have glucose and glutamine. The most straightforward strategy for cancer treatment is to induce therapeutic ketosis in patients and then selectively target the availability of glucose and glutamine.
According to Seyfried, mitochondrial dysfunction lies at the root of almost all cancers. (source) Tragically, few doctors realize this, and many still assume chromosomal anomalies cause cancer.
Interestingly, when you can’t use fat for fuel(ketones), your body generates a molecule called acetyl-CoA while breaking down fats— and this is one of the compounds in your body for synthesizing the Melatonin hormone.
As we know, Melatonin has anti-cancer properties that protect our cells from environmental damage. Without metabolic flexibility, our body will be less likely to synthesize Melatonin from acetyl-CoA, cause to impair Mitochondrial efficient and eventually to impair health cell function.
How Long To Dry Fast For Autophagy?
A simple definition of autophagy is: “A process by which a cell breaks down and destroys old, damaged, or abnormal proteins and other substances in its cytoplasm.”
Autophagy in humans might take anywhere from “two” to “four days” of fasting, depending on the individual’s metabolism, age, or even muscle size. However, Autophagy is an insulin-dependent process that correlates amounts of glucose and insulin. Insulin signaling regulates glycemia and inhibits autophagy.
Compared to intermittent fasting, dry fasting promotes faster autophagy and fat loss. An average of 18 hours of dry fasting can improve autophagy, weight loss, and inflammation biomarkers, protect healthy cell organisms, and utilize excessive glycogen stores far better than intermittent fasting.
Doing exercise and using supplements such as resveratrol and curcumin also support autophagy.
Related: Does Intermittent Fasting Increase Longevity?
The Vagus Nerve.
The vagus nerve has a critical role in the health of our hormones, from testosterone and DHT in males to progesterone and estrogen in females.
In the modern world, people are constantly under pressure. However, we forget that the vagus nerve is the primary nerve responsible for our psychological well-being.
Many people struggle to get a handle on their emotions and understand their actions and their thoughts. They often make poor choices and don’t know why.
Vagus nerve can help serotonin production to stimulate and lower stress levels. Simulation of the vagus nerve has been demonstrated to be highly useful in children and adults with epilepsy, to the point that clinics throughout the globe give electric stimulation of the vagus nerve.
While there are various methods to do that, dry fasting is one of the most natural, inexpensive, and quickest ways.
Additionally, fasting causes levels of satiety-regulating hormones like CCK to drop and levels of hunger-regulating hormones like Neuropeptide Y to rise (cholecystokinin). This activates the vagus nerve as well.,
Other Techniques to Stimulate Dry Fasting
Cold showers, chanting, singing, humming, gargling, yoga, meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, exercise, and Omega-3, zinc, and probiotics are other methods to activate the vagus nerve besides dry fasting.
Why I’m a big fan of the cold?
Cold Exposure triggers AMPK, which leads your mitochondria to grow and improve their efficiency. It’s also a positive adaptation to lower temperatures with many other health benefits, such as reduced inflammation, a stronger immune system, and greater tolerance to pain and brown fat cells.
Everything related to frequency, vibration, and sound is a great technique for stimulation, activation, harmony, and balance since it is a vagal “tone,” too!
Related: Why Gut health is the Cornerstone For Brain Health?
Before Starting, Be Careful
You will stress your thoughts and emotions during a dry fast. For everyone who fasts, the mind most often becomes a restricting factor. So maintaining mental and physical calm is crucial. Have faith in the healing process and the body’s innate wisdom.
Do not directly jump to dry fasting. Know and understand the principles and science behind dry fasting. I would suggest starting with “intermittent fasting” to improve to better adapt before dry fasting.
Can I dry fast daily?
If you eat your dinner well on time (say by 10 pm) and eat breakfast the next day at (10-11 am), you are already dry fasting for 12-13 hours naturally as long as you are comfortable. Dry fasting doesn’t mean it has to be for 18-20 hrs. Yet, you can do it. It can be for 10 to 12 hrs too.
Limit your Caffeine: Dry fasting may be challenging if you consume too much sugar or caffeine, which can cause you to get dehydrated.
And also, caffeine makes you feel more alert because it can increase glutamate activity and block the release of GABA. However, dry fasting alone also increases the activity of the adrenalin, dopamine, and another stimulant, slightly increasing cortisol. We do not need an additional dopamine spike because dry fasting already helping us.
On the other hand, suppressing GABA isn’t always good because GABA can help lower cortisol and anxiety and promote good sleep quality, leading to less craving for sugary foods. So, the more you get deep sleep, the better get easier to maintain dry fasting without increasing stress levels. (Don’t forget stress slows your metabolism.) Limiting your caffeine intake is crucial for dry fasting or any other fasting.
Note: I’m a big fan of caffeine and Turkish Tirebolu TEA if you consume a moderately. Since they can alter the composition of the gut microbiome by inhibiting the development of bad bacteria while encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria, thanks to polyphenol properties.
Optimize Your Magnesium intake: Minerals, especially magnesium, is important for electrolytes during fasting states. During the dry fast, your body will convert sugar to energy, which leads to a requirement for more magnesium levels in the body. Also, magnesium will help lower cortisol levels and improve ATP production, which helps eliminate toxins.
Not All Magnesium is the Same: The Best Form Of Magnesium
The new study showed that magnesium acetyl taurate could help increase the number of magnesium levels in brain tissue more efficiently than other magnesium forms.
Yet, Magnesium acetyl taurate crossed the blood-brain barrier far more effectively than other forms. (magnesium malate, magnesium glycinate), the study observed more effective penetration into the brain tissue. (source) Why does it is matter?
This research also discovered that magnesium acetyl taurate was linked to lower anxiety symptoms in animals.
You can combine it with B6 and magnesium. The B6 vitamin promotes Mg absorption and cellular uptake and aids in crossing the blood-brain barrier.
Don’t Forget your Goal: These fasting periods aim not to lose weight but to allow the body to lose weight by detoxifying. When we cleanse, we reduce inflammation and restore digestive system equilibrium. There is no quick fix for losing weight.
No matter how long the fast has been going, the best approach to break it is with healthy, simple-to-digest meals. However, good quality and digestible protein-rich foods are great in that regard.
Slowly chewing food improves digestion. The longer we chew, the more time digestive enzymes have to function on food, making stomach digestion simpler.