Between Mary’s vow and Cambridge research: Fasting as the oldest biotechnology for healing
When fasting is mentioned, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the month of Ramadan, but in reality, fasting in the language means “abstinence,” so we find that there are multiple types of fasting, some of which follow religious rules, and some of which may be considered part of a health system or treatment protocol.
Narratives mention that the Virgin Mary vowed to fast from speaking, which shows that the meaning of fasting is not limited to abstaining from food and drink only.
But what does science say today about dietary fasting in its various forms? Are all forms of fasting equally beneficial, or are there controls that enhance its benefits and reduce its risks?
Recent studies indicate that fasting may have a positive effect in reducing chronic inflammation, which explains the growing scientific interest in it.
Do I have chronic inflammation?
To find the answer to this question, you must first understand the definition of chronic inflammation. It is simply a process that accelerates your arrival at biological aging. It is a response from the immune system that is triggered by repeated exposure of the body to bacterial or viral infections, or by cells being exposed to injuries such as bruises and wounds, and also as a result of internal factors such as obesity, stress, and immune diseases.
When cells are damaged, they release alarm signals, prompting white blood cells to intervene and release substances called cytokines to fight inflammation. The problem arises when this activity continues for an extended period; chronically high blood sugar and the accumulation of visceral fat keep the immune system in a constant state of alert.
Over time, this causes damage to cell components, especially the mitochondria responsible for energy production, and leads to the accumulation of damaged proteins inside cells. It also weakens the natural self-cleaning mechanism known as “autophagy”.
When this mechanism malfunctions, the cell cleaning system is disrupted, waste accumulates inside the cells, which increases inflammation, paving the way for heart disease, diabetes, immune disorders, and others.
How can fasting repair the damage caused by inflammation?
Fasting is a specific abstinence, at a specific time, and with a specific structure. Assuming that fasting is done correctly, as scientists explain, by reducing the calories consumed by individuals, a study published in the journal “Cell” in early 2024 by a research group from Cambridge University says that the link between fasting and a reduction in inflammation is certain, but understanding how this happens is what scientists are trying to achieve.
intermittent fasting
A systematic review of more than 80 studies on human subjects published in The Journal of Nutrition showed that intermittent fasting protocols that allow an 8-hour eating window followed by a 16-hour fast can boost insulin sensitivity and improve lipid profiles and blood pressure, although most trials are short-term and longer studies are needed to fully understand the inflammatory effects.
Fasting one meal a day
This is what the Queen’s College, Cambridge University study published in January 2024 focused on, in which a group of 21 volunteers ate a single meal containing 500 calories, then abstained from food only for 24 hours.
Researchers observed elevated levels of a type of fat known as arachidonic acid, which plays important roles in the body, such as energy storage and cell signaling. They also noted that it reduced the activity of an inflammatory compound known as NLRP3 inflammasome.
Water fasting
It is based on complete abstinence from food for a period ranging from 24 hours to up to 10 days. In a study published in the journal “Clinical and Translational Medicine,” researchers conducted an experiment in which they subjected 48 healthy adults to a water fast for 5 consecutive days, while monitoring important vital and immune indicators.
The researchers observed decreases in blood pressure, body weight, changes in immune cells, and reduced inflammatory markers in some participants. However, they also noted that these markers returned to their previous levels after gradual refeeding, and that some muscle mass was lost.
dry fasting
This practice, observed by Muslims as part of their religious rituals, is also the least studied scientifically. One of the few such studies, published in the scientific journal Elsevier, examined the evolution of vital signs in 14 men and women who underwent dry fasting from sunrise to sunset for 29 days during Ramadan.
This time the sample is suffering from metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that occur together such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, increased body fat around the waist, and high triglyceride levels, which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
The study showed protein changes in white blood cells indicating a decrease in vascular-related inflammation signals and an increase in certain proteins associated with cell protection.
In another study published in 2021 involving a group of volunteers from the Baha’i faith, who followed a fast similar to the Islamic dry fast for several hours during the day, and the sample included 34 healthy participants, the study observed no significant negative effects on hydration among the healthy participants, and an improvement in lipid metabolism was observed, and no effect on inflammation was observed.
Media focus and few studies
Despite promising initial results and testimonies from doctors such as Dr. Pradeep Jamnadas, a cardiology consultant and director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Orlando Health in the United States, about the effect of fasting of various types on giving the body a chance to switch from “storage mode” to “repair mode,” where insulin levels decrease and the activity of inflammatory pathways declines, research in this area is still limited and needs more experiments on larger samples.
Dr. Mark Mattson, head of the Neuroscience Laboratory at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health in the United States, and one of the leading researchers who have studied the relationship between fasting, metabolism, and brain health, believes that fasting may activate cellular stress-resistance pathways and reduce some inflammatory markers, but he emphasizes that most of the evidence regarding the autophagic cleansing system and its protective effect has come from animal models or short-term studies on healthy humans.
Dr. Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, links the benefits of fasting to what he calls “structured therapeutic fasting,” which is done under the supervision of a doctor and as part of a treatment protocol or health regimen, and not as a general practice suitable for everyone.
The disagreement here is not about the usefulness of fasting, but about the level of generalization. While Jamnadas tends to present fasting as a key tool for addressing the root causes of metabolic and inflammation-related diseases, academic researchers advise emphasizing that fasting is a contributing factor within a broader system that includes food quality, physical activity, sleep, and genetic factors.
But as is clear, everyone agrees that there are promising biological signals about fasting, but we need more research to include fasting as part of general health recommendations.