Istanbul Gelisim University - Health benefits of fasting

Health benefits of fasting

Providing information on the health benefits of fasting, Quality Life Specialist Asst. Prof. Dr. Haluk Saçaklı said: “A program to remove unnecessary particles in weak and diseased cells when the human body gets hungry has been discovered. After 3 days of fasting, the body's immune mechanism triggers the formation of white blood cells. Our body renews our entire immune system.”

Asst. Prof. Dr. Haluk Saçaklı from Istanbul Gelisim University gave information about the benefits of healthy fasting and how to keep healthy fasting. Saying that the diet changes completely during Ramadan, Saçaklı said: “Fasting, which takes 14-16 hours, negatively affects metabolism. Fasting may cause job performance to drop due to loss of attention in the afternoon. Foods that must be eaten at sahur should be consumed to minimize the decrease in performance. Since blood sugar drop in the morning is less than in the afternoon, busy and demanding work should be shifted to the morning hours. Sufficient food, liquid and salt should be taken between iftar and sahur so that weakness, fatigue, forgetfulness, pensiveness, tendency to sleep, bad temper, indigestion, swelling, acid reflux and hypotension do not happen during fasting.”

Stating that every healthy person can fast, Saçaklı said: “However, people who do not have good health for fasting should be more sensitive about this issue. Patients suffering from cardiovascular, kidney disease, diabetes, stomach disease, high blood pressure, liver failure, fever with severe infection, gallstones, muscle pain, anemia, cancer are required to use drugs at certain intervals. Such people need to apply therapeutic diet. In addition, it is dangerous for pregnant women, children of development age and excessive elderly to fast.”

Stating that body movements slow down and metabolic rate decreases while fasting, Quality Life Specialist Asst. Prof. Dr. Haluk Saçaklı spoke: “Some people have severe headaches in the first days of Ramadan. Headache is more likely to be caused by nicotine and caffeine deficiency than starvation. People who get used to smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee in the morning feel more severe headaches. To prevent this, we should reduce smoking and caffeinated beverages a few weeks before Ramadan and prepare our body for fasting.”

Asst. Prof. Dr. Haluk Saçaklı explained the fasting's benefits to health as follows:

“A program to remove unnecessary particles in weak and diseased cells when the human body gets hungry has been discovered. After 3 days of fasting, the body's immune mechanism triggers the formation of white blood cells. Our body renews our entire immune system. Fasting appears as completely a regeneration program. When the body is under stress, fasting or starvation, there are a lot of AUTOPHAGIA (self-eating of the cells). The cell tries to produce energy by using its own internal facilities. First, it starts cleaning by digesting its toxins and pathogenic bacteria. Thus, early aging is prevented.”