A previous study indicated that fasting can help strengthen your immunity. According to a new study, fasting can also help in warding off diabetes. While fasting for about 10-12 hours, your body looks out for other sources of energy to sustain itself. It pulls LDL (bad) cholesterol from the fat cells and uses it as energy. This natural process can help in reducing the risk of developing diabetes. (More: How fasting can help build immunity)Various studies have shown that eating small portions and proportionate meals throughout the day can help prevent diabetes but this study shows how fasting can help keep cholesterol levels and obesity in check, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes. "Fasting has the potential to become an important diabetes intervention," said lead researcher Benjamin Horne from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah.
For the study, researchers monitored participants with pre-diabetes, including men and women, between ages 30 and 69. Pre-diabetes is a condition where people have blood glucose levels higher than normal but not as high as to indicate diabetes."During actual fasting days, cholesterol went up slightly among them. But over a six-week period, cholesterol levels decreased by about 12 percent in addition to weight loss," researchers added.The study showed that the bad cholesterol was used for energy during the fasting episodes which probably came from the fat cells. The fat cells are major perpetrators of insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes. (More: Mediterranean diet can protect against diabetes)"Because fasting may help eliminate and break down fat cells, insulin resistance may be frustrated by fasting," Horne said.Horne and his team also examined healthy (without any aliment or pre-condition) people during a day of fasting which showed that routine fasting with only water led to lower glucose levels and weight loss.With inputs from IANS
For the study, researchers monitored participants with pre-diabetes, including men and women, between ages 30 and 69. Pre-diabetes is a condition where people have blood glucose levels higher than normal but not as high as to indicate diabetes."During actual fasting days, cholesterol went up slightly among them. But over a six-week period, cholesterol levels decreased by about 12 percent in addition to weight loss," researchers added.The study showed that the bad cholesterol was used for energy during the fasting episodes which probably came from the fat cells. The fat cells are major perpetrators of insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes. (More: Mediterranean diet can protect against diabetes)"Because fasting may help eliminate and break down fat cells, insulin resistance may be frustrated by fasting," Horne said.Horne and his team also examined healthy (without any aliment or pre-condition) people during a day of fasting which showed that routine fasting with only water led to lower glucose levels and weight loss.With inputs from IANS
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