by Keiyia J. George
Like always, here’s a recap. Fasting is not starving. It’s way different. Zero calories and almost zero calories do not add up. Many other myths were debunked in Part 1. Part 2 was about the wonderful things your body does, like perform autophagy, which is basically the body’s own recycling system. In this process cells find damaged, weakened cells, ‘eats’ them to become bigger or stronger. Part 3 covered something called resting where you don’t necessarily fast, per se, but instead focus on resting your digestive system. In Part 4, types of fasting were covered.
And here we are: human growth hormone or HGH. HGH is a wonderful hormone that helps young people, well…grow. It’s produced by your pituitary gland. It helps your metabolism, assists with muscle growth and recovery, and helps reduce the risk of disease. Many have been led to believe that as we age, we stop producing this hormone, which is true to an extent. As you age, you do produce fewer and fewer of this wonderful hormone that helps you stay young. Here are some other benefits of HGH:
- Builds and maintains muscle mass
- Burns adipose tissue (burns fat)
- Maximizes exercise capacity
- Increases bone density
- Enhanced immune system
- Optimizes mood and well-being
- Has power anti-aging abilities
HGH has even been touted as the fountain of youth, which is why many turn to synthetic versions of it. The synthetic version is not what your body is expecting nor accustomed to, so when people use it, they must be monitored under a doctor’s strict care. Synthetic HGH helps adults gain muscle (not strength) and lose weight BUT it also comes with these risks and health concerns:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Increased insulin resistance
- Swelling in the arms and legs (edema)
- Joint and muscle pain
- For men, enlargement of breast tissue (gynecomastia)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- Possibly an increased risk of some cancers
It’s simply not worth it, especially if you can kick the fountain of youth into action naturally. It’s quite possible to even be in your 70s (or older) and produce HGH. How? Um, really? You are seriously asking that question at this point. FASTING!!!!!
Fasting is a hard reset on the body. You know how when you completely restart your phone or laptop and how much better it works? That’s what fasting does. During feeding, there is an increase in glucose which directly decreases HGH. Fasting is a great stimulus for HGH. In a study conducted in 1988 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3127426/), there was a five-fold increase in HGH in response to a two day fast. Many holistic health experts recommend fasting no longer than 36 hours, but if you listen to and train your body, you can go longer. Much longer. A study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3127426/) conducted in 1982 was of a single patient who fasted for 40 days for religious reasons. At the end of the fast, their HGH levels had it increased by 1250% – from 0.73 to 9.86. With a five day fast, patients have been seen to have as much as a 300% increase in HGH.
No matter your age, you can increase your HGH levels and there is no need to take an artificial hormone. Simply stop eating. Even if you can discipline your self to start by skipping either breakfast or dinner, you will see the benefits of HGH levels increasing slightly day by day. It’s been studied. It’s be proven. It’s been documented. Don’t take this article as proof. Look it up. Read the links here. Find other notable sources. Be informed!
Your body wants to help you. It has been designed to help you. You don’t have to figure it out. It will do what it’s supposed to do…when you let it. Let the fountain of youth rise in your and see don’t you feel so much better!
Next issue we will cover another hormone: cortisol. We will cover what you need to know about fasting and cortisol.