Fasting!
- Thread starter CaraMia
- Start date
Our bodies are not equipped to eat all day, every day - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in between. Every time you eat, no matter what it is, there’s an insulin response, and the pancreas is not designed to work that hard.
Too much insulin leads to insulin resistance and diabetes. Still, it is also linked to accelerated ageing and chronic inflammation, the common denominators in every chronic disease. Think cancer, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, metabolic syndrome, obesity, allergies, autoimmune disease, and cardiovascular disease - they all involve inflammation. Many of them have been called diseases of civilization, but perhaps they are diseases of overeating the wrong things and eating all the time.
There’s only one hormone to lower blood sugar (insulin), but there are several to raise it (adrenalin, cortisol, glucagon, growth hormone etc.) This is not some terrible design error but comes from the fact that for aeons, mankind didn’t need to lower his blood sugar because:
Too much insulin leads to insulin resistance and diabetes. Still, it is also linked to accelerated ageing and chronic inflammation, the common denominators in every chronic disease. Think cancer, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, metabolic syndrome, obesity, allergies, autoimmune disease, and cardiovascular disease - they all involve inflammation. Many of them have been called diseases of civilization, but perhaps they are diseases of overeating the wrong things and eating all the time.
There’s only one hormone to lower blood sugar (insulin), but there are several to raise it (adrenalin, cortisol, glucagon, growth hormone etc.) This is not some terrible design error but comes from the fact that for aeons, mankind didn’t need to lower his blood sugar because:
- He didn’t eat as much as we do now. He gorged when there was plenty of food, and insulin helped him store the extra calories as fat so that when there was no food, he could draw on his fat stores. When there was no food, he was forced to fast.
- There weren’t anywhere as many sources of food that would spike insulin as we have now in the way of sugar, processed carbs, sodas, and artificial sweeteners. He had a bit of fruit in season (it wasn’t that sweet) and honey (protected by bees).
I would have to disagree with Mochimash here. Back when food was scarce and people were forced to fast, the result was malnourishment and death, not improved health. Humans have been eating multiple meals a day for quite a long time, suggesting that this was a good strategy to avoid being too weak to fight off infections.
Also, I have not seen any evidence to link insulin to all the chronic illnesses we see today. Some of the diseases Mochi listed are not caused by inflammation, let alone feature it.
Finally, having only 1 hormone to lower blood sugar while having multiple to raise it does not mean the former was rarely needed. To lower blood sugar, there is only 1 sensible decision for the body to make; transfer it to cells. However, multiple hormones to raise blood sugar may be because there are multiple sources for the extra sugar. This might lead to specialised hormones with each source.
Overall, fasting is not necessary and you should think carefully before doing it. It is a good idea to speak to a qualified doctor about whether fasting is appropriate for you.
Also, I have not seen any evidence to link insulin to all the chronic illnesses we see today. Some of the diseases Mochi listed are not caused by inflammation, let alone feature it.
Finally, having only 1 hormone to lower blood sugar while having multiple to raise it does not mean the former was rarely needed. To lower blood sugar, there is only 1 sensible decision for the body to make; transfer it to cells. However, multiple hormones to raise blood sugar may be because there are multiple sources for the extra sugar. This might lead to specialised hormones with each source.
Overall, fasting is not necessary and you should think carefully before doing it. It is a good idea to speak to a qualified doctor about whether fasting is appropriate for you.
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