Does Fasting Improve Your Immune System?

Many types of research, studies, and medical surveys have been conducted to find out the impact of fasting on the immune system. A vast majority of these studies have shown that fasting can boost your immunity and have a myriad of benefits for your health. One such study found that if you want to completely reset your immune system, you should fast for at least three days.

There is no doubt that fasting improves your immune system. Nevertheless, the way fasting affects your body is a little complex, so we have simplified the whole process for you in this article to make sure you can easily understand how the immune system is improved through fasting.

How does fasting boost your immunity?

Glucose is the chief component of energy generation in your body. The body consists of a massive amount of glucose obtained through different food sources, especially carbohydrates. Glucose is burned to produce energy through muscular activities and metabolic reactions. The mechanism of fasting is such that the glucose stores are completely depleted for energy, and then the fat-burning is initiated by the body to get energy. The speed at which the burning of fats starts in your body is dependent on the duration of the fast and the amount of glucose and glycogen stored.

Due to the increased burning of the fats, the body starts losing weight and gets trimmed. Furthermore, ketones bodies are produced by the liver due to a lack of insulin and glucose. As a result, the body enters the state of ketosis, which is excellent for the immune system of your body.

BHB is a significant ketone body. It is responsible for enhancing immunity, reducing inflammation, and triggering the production of healthy cells. According to Cell Stem Cell, damaged immune cells can be quickly recycled during a fast.

The destruction of the old and damaged cells in your body is called autophagy. It is a substantial body function that can be achieved via fasting. In addition to the destruction of harmful cells, healthy white blood cells are also produced, which boosts your immunity. As a result, your body gets the capability of fighting off viruses and other foreign invaders. White blood cells, like B-cells, lymphocytes, and monocytes, are some of the essential components of your immune system. Fasting speeds up the production of such cells.

Diseases Prevented by Fasting

Many diseases can be prevented by fasting. At the very least, the chances of developing the following diseases are reduced:

Influenza

Influenza is a seasonal illness that causes death among a significant number of people. It is incurable since it is a viral infection. Fasting is known to be effective against some viruses by either killing them directly or by minimizing their impact through a restricted diet. Due to less diet for the virus, influenza will not be able to replicate in your body and ultimately will be killed off by your immune system,

Cancer

Research form Oncogene shows that fasting reduces the chances of developing cancer by restricting inflammation, lessening the side effects of chemotherapy, and reducing insulin resistance.

Conclusion 

Fasting is one of the very efficient and quick methods of increasing your immunity as it can produce new and healthy cells in your body that can protect you against different types of diseases. Furthermore, your chances of getting diseases like heart conditions, Type 2 diabetes, and many others are greatly reduced through fasting. Ultimately, fasting will benefit your immune system in innumerable ways and will improve your quality of life for an extended period of time.