Fasting For Longevity

There are always ongoing studies, especially on the ever-popular and important topic of longevity.

Everybody wants to grow older with a body that still looks fit and healthy, an unlined face, a sharp mind, and a heart bursting with happiness and contentment.

Last update on 2026-04-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Not so?

That means there will be updated and new studies every few months, like one proclaiming that it isn’t only what you eat but also when you eat it that is of paramount importance.

Many people eat around the clock, you could say, always waiting for their next meal in the 17 hours available when they are not sleeping. 

Today, we can’t escape food; there are television shows galore about food. We step into the kitchen, and our refrigerators and microwaves are ready to prepare our meals.

Out on the street, there are drive-thru takeaway places.

If that is not enough, you can also pick up the phone and order your regular hamburger, chips, and pizza.

Processed foods are pretty addictive, too, designed so that you overeat.

Before that, however, our ancestors used to go for long periods without food, maybe even days.

And in these breaks of being without food, important things were happening in their bodies. Insulin levels would drop, making their stored body fat much more accessible for users.

The human growth hormones would also go up, enabling them to burn fat and build strong, lean muscle.

Any damaged cell material would be shed faster (today, this is called autophagy).

Therapeutic fasting in modern times

• Today, therapeutic fasting is very popular. It is used to rid us of excess weight, treat disease, and prevent bad health. It was also very popular in the 19th century as part of the “Natural Hygiene Movement” in the USA. Dr. Herbert Shelton was a pioneer of fasting. He opened his Dr. Shelton’s Health school back in 1928 in Texas. He is noted to have helped 40,000 patients recover their health with water fasts.
• Dr. Ilona Sovenyhazi has a fasting retreat in Hungary where she offers people to come and heal and rejuvenate. Her conclusion from her work at her fasting clinic proves that we all can acquire fuller health through simple and guided fasting regimes. She proves that fasting is an effective means of restoring longevity and youthfulness. We can get all our body parts working together again to the 100% level. She proves at her clinic that fasting is OK to do, that it is beneficial even to miss out on several meals and that nothing terrible happens when you don’t eat when you are hungry.
• Toxic overload prevents humans from getting better, and we must resolve this. The biggest aid that helps us is fasting—regular fasting. Fasting allows the body to cleanse itself and get back on track. It is an opportunity to reconnect with one’s physical and mental self.

Fasting helps prevent disease and regenerates the body.

• Fasting is used to treat many medical ailments such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, digestion problems, headaches, allergies – just about everything.
• Fasting is coming into its own again today, and in Germany, therapeutic fasting is still very popular today, as is Hungary, as mentioned above. In Europe, it just continues to grow in popularity, especially when it comes to managing obesity. Intermittent fasting is very popular today particularly in countries like the UK – millions try out the 5:2 diet.
• Over in Russia, there is a huge archive created by the psychiatrist Dr. Yuri Nikolayev. He used fasting, his “hunger cure’’ to treat a whole range of mental disorders, which were found to be effective in 70% of his patients with schizophrenia.
• It is suggested today that if you can achieve a one-day fast two times a year, like one in springtime and one in autumn time, days when you just rest and drink water, you will be able to detoxify your body.

• A famous fasting clinic is the Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinic in Germany, where Francoise Wilhelmi de Toledo is an authority on therapeutic fasting. As medical director, she is an authority on therapeutic fasting and its role in diseases like cancer, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. She says fasting is likened to a “reset” button that returns the body to the original factory settings. Awesome!
• Wilhelmi de Toledo also claims that ‘’Human beings are not programmed for abundance,’’ they are programmed for loss.  Fasting is a given ability humans have when we eat more than is needed. Our early ancestors built fat reserves and surplus vitamins and minerals in autumn and summer. They would endure fasting times when food was reduced in the winter and spring months. During these fasting times, their metabolism would switch from being fed from external resources to taking from the internal fat reserves.
• Type 2 diabetes is a disease that is known that can be cured through fasting, says Dr. de Toledo. Many industries sell all the devices and drugs for diabetes, a multi-billion dollar rand business. But they overlook the cheap, highly effective success story of fasting because there is no return on the investment. Dr. de Toledo says that when she was 17, she started her first fast because she wanted to lose weight. She says it opened her eyes to how ‘’buoyant and sometimes euphoric’’ she felt while fasting. She went on to do another fast, although this time under medical supervision at the Buchinger-Wilhelmi Clinic, where she met and married her husband, the grandson of the famous Dr. Buchinger.
• Which brings us to another exciting case of fasting

Getting back to Dr. Buchinger, he was a doctor in the German Imperial Navy and, during this time, contracted rheumatic fever at the age of 39. In 1917, he was discharged because he was permanently disabled. He went on a 19-day water fast and restored the full use of his joints.

From that time on, right up to his death at age 89, he dedicated himself to researching the wonders of fasting. Later, he laid the foundations for his clinic, which was opened in 1953.

• Some go there for help with very serious health problems, while others go there for weight loss. Some go there to relieve stress and receive from the ‘’spiritual dimension of fasting,’’ Dr. de Toledo says has one amazing side effect. Each visitor to the clinic goes home, educated on how to return to their normal routines when back home—it is to an improved diet and lifestyle, which is crucial for the program.

Last update on 2026-04-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Humans don’t use the ability to fast anymore.

• When carbohydrates are not used as the energy source for our cells, fatty acids are broken down in the liver. The liver produces molecules called ketone bodies. The liver manufactures these ketones as an important fuel for the brain so that it is not starved due to a low-carbohydrate diet.
• We humans still have retained the ability to fast and to exist on a ketogenic-type diet, but we hardly use fasting anymore in the affluent Western World because being short of food is not that well known there. Neither is there much incentive to research fasting and to investigate its benefits, even though there is preliminary evidence that it does help with numerous diseases.
• A study published just a while ago concludes that three days of fasting can rejuvenate the immune system and trigger the production of new white blood cells. Further studies show that fasting enables healthy cells to endure the toxicity of chemotherapy and kills off cancer cells more rapidly.
• Today, it appears as if wellness and healthy ways are no longer accepted. There is an opioid epidemic sweeping across the country, and life expectancy is dropping because chronic diseases are now rampant. A health revolution is urgently required.

What is intermittent fasting (IF)?

With so much advice being bombarded today, the easiest diet by far is not eating! 

Fasting isn’t starving yourself, though, which is what so many misinformed people believe it is.

Fasting isn’t dieting, either.

Look in the Bible to see how often spiritual fasting occurs.

But fasting is defined as ” abstaining from food and drink for a certain period of time.” Instead of three meals a day, you eat a couple of smaller meals plus snacks in a 12-hour window, eating whatever you want, but in moderation.

If you are going to concentrate on processed foods and takeaways, you aren’t going to reap many benefits. If you are seriously considering fasting, examine your diet first.

Stick to foods like fruit and vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins, and raw dairy. 12:12 Intermittent fasting prevents hunger from creeping up more so than dieting does.

It tends to sustain you more as a lifestyle because it is not so isolating.

You need to sleep at least 8 hours because sleep helps with health problems.

You don’t eat anything for 4 hours. It is advised not to eat about 2 hours before you go to bed.

There are also different types of fasting methods: intermittent fasting, time-restricted fasting, 16/8 fasting, alternate-day fasting, the 5-2 diet, the warrior diet, and the Daniel Fast. You decide which one suits you best.

Want some ideas on how to fast?

1. Which type are you going to follow?

It would be best to try the time-restricted fast, which involves 12 hours of fasting. If you feel good about that, you can increase it to 14 and 18 hours. It is not recommended that you go beyond that. If you have fasted before, you might want to try alternate-day fasting.

2. Set your goals

Why do you want to fast? Is it to lose weight, feel better, or have extra energy?

Please write down your goals to get motivated when you see them.

3. Know what you will eat and stock up

Before starting your fast, you need to decide what you will eat. Planning relieves pressure, especially since you can eat anything and are not following a diet.

As you become used to fasting, you will become motivated and not find it necessary to plan your meals. Have a range of healthy foods stocked up in your fridge.

4. What is your body telling you?

Fasting takes time to get used to because you are shedding some old habits and maybe learning new, good ones. But listen to what your body is saying. For instance, if you are in the tenth hour of your 16-hour fast and feel desperate for a snack, have it.

And if your fasting time is up and you’re not hungry, wait until you are.

That’s not ruining your fast.

Remember, if you are an athlete and doing intense training, you need to speak to your doctor or coach about fasting because it might not be the right time for you.

Generally, one can exercise while fasting, especially as you might have more energy. However, sometimes low-calorie diets make you feel sluggish, too, so gentle yoga or walking will be good for you.

Last update on 2026-04-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

There are great benefits to fasting!

You will surely lose weight.

Studies do support fasting as a superb way to lose weight.

One study found that alternate-day fasting could trim your body up to 7%, slashing body fat by up to 12 pounds.

Even fasting irregularly can help you lose belly fat and weight.

The human growth hormone secretion is promoted through fasting

The human growth hormone, or HGH, is produced naturally. Fasting unleashes the great anti-aging properties of HGH. When you are an athlete, you might notice even greater benefits, such as treating obesity and building muscle mass, which is important for burning fat and increasing muscle strength.

Fasting is noted to have positive effects on the body, period. But it also improves body mass in professional athletes.

Fasting optimizes muscle growth because the human growth hormone is produced. Fasting is advised for training days, and eating is encouraged on game days.

Normalize your insulin sensitivity through fasting.

If you give your body too much sugar and carbs, you can become insulin resistant, and this can pave the way for a lot of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. You have to keep your body insulin-sensitive, and fasting can do this.

Studies reveal that intermittent fasting is as effective as caloric restriction in reducing unwanted visceral fat mass and insulin resistance. If you have problems with pre-diabetes or are insulin-sensitive, fasting can normalize that.

Fasting lowers triglyceride levels.

Consuming bad cholesterol can increase triglyceride levels, increasing your risk of heart disease. Intermittent fasting can lower your bad cholesterol levels by decreasing triglycerides. Fasting also doesn’t seem to affect the good cholesterol in the body.

Feel younger

You lose weight when you fast, have more energy and feel younger.

It rejuvenates even the old.

Just 3 days of fasting can regenerate your entire immune system, including the elderly – so say scientists who describe the latest findings on fasting as “remarkable”.

The new research suggests that when the body is starved in defense, it kick-starts stem cells to produce fresh white blood cells that fight infection. It highly benefits those who suffer from damaged immune systems, like cancer patients on chemotherapy.

Another positive fasting story

• A 27-year-old Scotsman, Angus Barbieri, fasted for 382 days. A year prior, he had entered the University Department of Medicine at the Royal Infirmary of Dundee, Scotland, looking for treatment for his excessive weight. He weighed 456 pounds and was considered grossly obese. He initially planned to start with a short fast to drop weight.
• However, as days rolled into weeks, Barbieri wanted to continue his program and reach his ideal weight of 180 pounds. So he kept fasting, surprising even his doctors, living at home during his fast and returning to the hospital for his checkups and occasional overnight stays. He had regular blood tests, which showed to his doctors that he was highly hypoglycemic.
• He occasionally took vitamins, including sodium and potassium supplements. He allowed himself tea, coffee, and sparkling water, which he drank calorie-free. He said that now and again, he would add some sugar and milk, especially towards the end of his fasting.
• At the end of his fasting ordeal, he tipped the scales at 180 and his doctor said: “This is one of the most remarkable cases of voluntary weight reduction I have ever heard of“.
• 5 years later, Angus Barbieri has kept the weight off and weighs in at 196 pounds.

Conclusion

Transformation through deprivation is an ancient concept, as mentioned above. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert without food, Gandhi went on 17 hunger strikes, and Barbieri’s fast is thought to be among the longest ever completed for physical health.

What a heap of appealing benefits fasting brings—yet it is not for all. Those who suffer from diabetes and hypoglycemia should probably not fast until their glucose and insulin levels are normalized. Breastfeeding and pregnant women should also not fast, as it could have adverse effects on the baby.

Discuss it with your doctor if you are on certain medications. But for the rest of us, intermittent fasting can be a very helpful tool for managing weight and longevity.

Today, scientists are discovering how much we benefit from fasting.

A very strict fast is unnecessary to benefit from God’s genetic instructions in Biblical times. Two to four days of fasting, say every thirty days, is sufficient to trigger your longevity code.

Fasting is now in its moment as research looks for ways to battle aging and chronic diseases. They realize that the most promising interventions are connected to this very ancient and simple practice – fasting.