After years of speculations and debate, it has finally been confirmed- fasting can be very advantageous for people having a compromised immune system such as those suffering from cancer and other auto immune disorders.
Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy lack out on the much needed immune cells, and fasting every once in a while could help them tackle this. It is believed that fasting could motivate the stem cells to promote regeneration of damaged tissues and promote healing of organs that may have been damaged by chemotherapy.
“We show that prolonged fasting periods cause a major reduction in white blood cell number followed by its replenishment after refeeding,†Doctor Valter Longo, of the University of Southern California, explained. “We discovered that this effect, which may have evolved to reduce energy expenditure during periods of starvation, is able to switch stem cells to a mode able to not only regenerate immune cells and reverse the immunosuppression caused by chemotherapy, but also rejuvenate the immune system of old mice.â€
Fasting for Three Days can Regenerate Entire Immune System, Study Finds
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The researchers also claim that fasting may be quite beneficial for elderly individuals having poor health and affected by various disorders.
“We and others are currently testing the effect of fasting-mimicking diets on the protection of patients against chemotherapy’s side effects, and we’re also testing the role of multiple cycles of a fasting-mimicking diet on the immune system in generally healthy middle-aged and elderly subjects,†Dr. Longo added.
As we age, our immune system becomes less effective at fighting common diseases, and that’s when fasting comes in- it supposedly flips a regenerative switch, which prompts stem cells to create brand new white blood cells, which is basically regeneration of the entire immune system.
Hundreds of cancer patients are already trying fasting with chemotherapy, and are experiencing good results with some minor side effects.
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