Fasting has always been in our culture for centuries, practiced for spiritual and cultural reasons as a way of cleansing body and mind. And fasting has also found its place in modern lifestyle as a rising health trend.
In recent years, intermittent fasting has gained enormous popularity. We know fasting is good for body detox and weight loss, but what if I tell you fasting can be good for our DNA, too?
Yes, besides cleansing your body and bringing a sense of calm, fasting can also improve your genetic health. Emerging research suggests that when we give our body a break from constant eating, it positively affects how our genes express and DNA repair mechanisms work!
It turns out fasting can be a natural tool for maintaining our overall as well as genetic health. What our ancestors followed as a tradition with spiritual belief is now backed by science.
Let’s understand how fasting helps improve our genetic strength.
Key Topics:
Fasting and genetic health:
Fasting brings out a drastic shift in our bodies. Our body begins to use stored reserves by activating processes that usually don’t take place in a fed state, like autophagy.
Autophagy is a natural process where damaged proteins, damaged DNA and non-functional cell parts are repaired. So rather than constantly breaking down food and saving energy, our body makes itself busy with such activities.
Fasting is also proven beneficial in reducing oxidative stress, one of the major causes of DNA damage. Scientists now see fasting not only as a dietary choice but as a powerful genetic defense strategy.
Read more: How Regular Exercise Benefits Your Genetic Health.
Sounds like a conspiracy? Explore several research studies.
According to a study from Malaysia that focused on healthy older men to test whether following a fasting calorie restriction (FCR) routine could improve their health and protect their DNA.
In the study, participants were instructed to reduce their calorie intake to 300–500 kcal per day and observe religious fasting two days per week for three months. The control group maintained their usual lifestyle.
Blood samples were collected at 6 and 12 weeks to assess lipid profile, oxidative stress markers (MDA), and DNA damage via the COMET assay.
Researchers observed that men in the FCR group reduced their body weight, fat percentage, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol. They also experienced a striking and significant decrease in oxidative stress and DNA damage.
And the important and interesting part is that there was also an increase in the cellular DNA repair activities.
This means that fasting not only prevents DNA damage but also aids in the repair activity. This will reduce the accumulation of damaged DNA, hence reducing the chances of mutation.
In a study published in the Journal Nucleic Acids Research, the authors collected results from various reviews and research papers on how reducing calorie intake and fasting without malnutrition can be helpful for our genetic integrity.
If I summarise all the studies this paper included in a nutshell, it would be that fasting and reduced calorie intake can, over time, help in a drastic reduction in oxidative stress, lowering the DNA damage and reverse age-related declines in repair capacity.
One of the studies also highlights that calorie reduction can upregulate the function of base excision repair (BER), like DNA polymerase expression, improve the aspects of nucleotide excision repair (NER) and also prevent age-related declines in non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). It is worth noting that all of these are DNA repair pathways.
Fasting can also lower the mitochondrial DNA oxidative lesions according to several studies.
Read more: 5 Simple and Scientifically Proven Tips to Make Your DNA Healthy.
Key takeaways:
- Fasting is not just a trend for weight loss; it directly influences our genes and DNA health.
- When our body is not constantly breaking down food, it is working on itself.
- Keep in mind: malnutrition is not the aim; calorie reduction is.
- Fasting can be a natural tool to boost our genetic stability.
Wrapping up:
What was thought to be just for a spiritual purpose is now a tool for keeping ourselves healthy from within. Emerging research has shown us how fasting can be beneficial for our genetic health.
Fasting for a day a week is a natural and very easy step for maintaining our genes and DNA. But do not starve yourself; fasting is for a body cleanse.
As I always say, moderation is the key; reduce your calorie intake, but take care of your nutrition and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Just by taking these simple steps, you can reduce the risk of mutation, diseases, cancer, and even aging.
Resources
Heydari, A. R., et al. “Caloric Restriction and Genomic Stability.” Nucleic Acids Research, vol. 35, no. 22, 26 Nov. 2007, pp. 7485–7496, https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkm860. Accessed 3 Dec. 2021.
Teng, Nur Islami Mohd Fahmi, et al. “Improvement of Metabolic Parameters in Healthy Older Adult Men Following a Fasting Calorie Restriction Intervention.” The Aging Male, vol. 16, no. 4, 17 Sept. 2013, pp. 177–183, https://doi.org/10.3109/13685538.2013.832191.
