Fasting diet trend: How healthy is not eating?
The fasting diet has an old tradition and yet never goes out of style. What do people with heart disease have to consider?
Therapeutic fasting, alkaline fasting, intermittent fasting - there are many ways to forgo food or severely limit it. Fasting is more popular than ever, but is it healthy? Read here which methods are recommended and what people with heart disease should watch out for.
Fasting as a fad? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that!
Anyone who fasts is trendy. This is not a modern phenomenon. Since time immemorial, the human metabolism has been adjusted to phases without food intake - there was no other way: bad harvests, natural disasters, times of war, or epidemics forced our ancestors to go through periods of hunger again and again. However, fasting is not always forced. It has always been practiced voluntarily in almost all religions. For example, Christians have been preparing for Easter by fasting since the year 400. Muslims fast for 30 days during Ramadan and only eat after sunset. And in Hinduism, people also adhere to numerous fasting rules. However, voluntary abstinence from food or severely restricting food intake also has a long tradition in medicine. Therapeutic fasting, for example, has been practiced for thousands of years. Even Hippocrates (around 460 to 370 BC) is said to have once said: "When the disease is at its height, the scarcest supply of food must be taken."
Can Fasting Cure Diseases? Expert clarifies
Fasting is the voluntary renunciation of solid food and stimulants for a limited period - this is how the medical society for therapeutic fasting and nutrition defines it and promises good performance without feeling hungry: Fasting has a positive effect on the body, mind, and soul. Is that the case? "Fasting can have a soothing effect on certain diseases," says Professor Hans Hauner, head of the Institute for Nutritional Medicine at the Klinikum Rechts der Isar in Munich and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Heart Foundation. One of these illnesses is type 2 diabetes. “People who fast in phases can lose weight and thus have a positive effect on their metabolic values,” explains Hauner. It's the same with rheumatism. “Fasting can reduce inflammatory activity, which can lead to less discomfort and pain in the short term.” However, the nutritionist rejects the fact that fasting also helps with cancer. "Here, not eating is counterproductive because the body loses resistance."
Fasting and losing weight - does it work?
Many people fast with a very specific goal: to lose weight. However, according to the German Society for Nutrition eV, this is not the right way. This is also how nutritionist Professor Hans Hauner sees it: "A brief fasting period can result in weight loss of a few kg. "However, after the fasting period is through, they usually return swiftly." People who want to reduce weight should adopt a general diet modification, according to Hans Hauner. He advises the " 10 Rules of the German Society for Nutrition (DGE) " or the Mediterranean diet, which he defines as fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, almonds, and olive oil rather than pasta or pizza. On the other hand, salt should be used as seldom as possible. "This type of food is high in unsaturated fatty acids and can lower the risk of cardiovascular disorders like stroke or heart attack," says Hans Hauner.
The Art of Weight Loss: How to Shed the Pounds?
Anyone who has set themselves the goal of reducing their body weight should above all understand what is important. Ultimately, there is a simple calculation behind the tumbling kilos on the scales: If you take in fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Because then the body taps into its fat reserves and causes them to melt. If you want long-term success, you should aim for a moderate calorie deficit over the long term. Crash diets and short-term fasting are usually not suitable because they often lead to the dreaded yo-yo effect after the strict eating rules are ended. This means that after the diet, the body quickly regains what was taken away from it beforehand and even more so puts on fat pads as a reserve. The trendy intermittent fasting is said to that exactly this yo-yo effect does not occur and that long-term weight reduction is possible. However, the German Society for Nutrition does not recommend intermittent fasting as a long-term weight regulation method, as there are no specific recommendations for food selection, for example. In addition, there are still no scientific studies on the long-term effects of intermittent fasting.
Heart patients should avoid extreme forms of fasting
Can heart patients also fast? Professor Hans Hauner advises caution here. In principle, patients should discuss their desire to fast with their doctor in advance and, above all, completely avoid extreme forms such as zero diets. "One shouldn't forget that fasting changes the nutrient intake massively," emphasizes nutritionist Hans Hauner. Too little potassium, for example, can trigger cardiac arrhythmias in heart patients. However, a moderate energy saving of about 500 to 800 kcal per day is also for people with coronary artery disease (CHD) or heart failure possible. Heart failure patients should avoid real fasting altogether. Regular weighing plays a special role for them since water accumulation can lead to weight fluctuations. In this case, the weight control says less about the energy balance and more about the treatment and the course of the heart failure.
Conclusion: fasting yes or no? That's what the expert says
Even if fasting is trendy, it should be well thought out and prepared, says nutrition expert Professor Hans Hauner from the Scientific Advisory Board of the Heart Foundation. Heart patients, in particular, should not plan to go it alone but should discuss each fasting method with a heart specialist in advance. You don't have to let yourself be put under pressure by the current intermittent fasting hype. The expert emphasizes again: "I don't see any major advantage in this diet method compared to a balanced diet." Intermittent fasting can be useful for people who want to lose weight and need clear rules for this. The disadvantage, however, is that social life - such as dinner with friends - can suffer.
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