Written by reporter Yun Lv.
Fasting can rebuild the immune system.
The British "Daily Mail" recently reported that researchers at the University of Southern California published research results that fasting for eight days a year can improve the immune system function. Studies have found that fasting for two days or more helps to start the human immune system, especially when the immune system is damaged by aging or cancer treatment. Researchers say fasting encourages the body to replace old damaged cells with new ones.
Walter Langer, a longevity expert at the University of Southern California who led the study, explained: "When people are hungry, the human system will try its best to save energy, and one way to save energy is to reuse a large number of unnecessary immune cells, especially those that may have been damaged."
Longo's team found that fasting for 2-4 days every six months can force the body to adjust to the survival mode, consume the fat and sugar stored in the body and decompose a large number of old cells. Longo said that on an empty stomach, the human body will send a signal to "command" stem cells to rebuild white blood cells and rebuild the entire immune system. "When the body's immune system is severely damaged by chemotherapy or aging, it can be said that a new immune system can be generated through the fasting cycle."
In the pilot experiment, the researchers found that if cancer patients fasted for 72 hours before chemotherapy, the damage of white blood cells in the body could be reduced. Experiments on mice taking chemotherapy drugs also show that fasting can reduce the side effects of chemotherapy drugs and the mortality of cancer mice, while experiments on elderly mice show that fasting can improve their immunity. This research result was published in the latest issue of Stem Cell magazine.
Fasting therapy:
The revival of ancient Europe
Can fasting improve immunity? Qin Jian, a professor and doctoral supervisor in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Sun Yat-sen University, told reporters that he and his team found in their research that fasting can not only increase the level of white blood cells in the body, thus killing tumor cells and viruses, but also reduce the level of inflammatory response and regulate the body's sensitivity to insulin. However, this study by the University of Southern California further reveals this principle.
In recent years, fasting therapy has risen in Europe and become a fashion to lose weight. It has been sought after by many celebrities and stars, and gradually spread to China. Fasting therapy usually means that in a certain period of time, except drinking water and eating a small amount of vegetable juice and fruit juice, it is forbidden to eat all other foods, and only rely on the energy stored in the body to ensure the needs of life activities, thus treating or preventing certain diseases. The "fasting therapy" in the sense of modern medicine was born in Europe in the eighteenth century, but in fact fasting (also called fasting) is closely related to religious practice. Pan, chief physician of the Nutrition Department of the First People's Hospital of Foshan City, pointed out that fasting therapy actually borrowed from the ancient valley-crossing therapy in China. As a Taoist practice, crossing the valley has a history of thousands of years, and there are also records related to fasting therapy in Huangdi Neijing. Qin bamboo slips pointed out that the concept of fasting or starvation therapy has existed in TCM health preservation since ancient times. The ancients believed that "if you want to live forever, your stomach must always be clear;" If you want people to die, there will be no me in your intestines. "