Fasting is often done every now and then, right? While some do it to honour their religious beliefs, some do it to induce better weight loss owing to the diet plans. A new breakthrough has found some unknown facts concerning fasting and its impacts on the metabolism.
A new study (R) conducted by researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University found some unknown and unresolved factors that do influence the metabolic activity of the body along with the induction of anti-aging effects on the body.
Prior observations and studies have found the impacts of fasting on weight loss but the recent one has found an in-depth knowledge about the same. The association of ramped up metabolic activity along with potent antiaging benefits is what the researchers have come forth with.
Addressing their study, Dr Takayuki Teruya, who is the first author of the study, under the guidance of Prof. Mitsuhiro Yanagida worked on this to find the potent health benefits that do come along with fasting.
They have been working for years on the said realm of work concerning the metabolism and body activity. It was now that they decided to pull a connection between these two. Upon conducting the research, they found that irrespective of the common beliefs, fasting did boost the overall metabolic activities of the body.
The study was published on January 29, 2019 in the Scientific Reports journal and does provide with an extensive analysis of the human blood as well as the plasma and red blood cells. The same was drawn from four participants.
In those samples, the researchers did monitor the changing levels of metabolites to see whether or not the same had any changes following hours of fasting.
The results found the presence of 44 metabolites out of which 30 were previously unrecognized. The same did increase universally among the participants who underwent a consistent fasting within around 58 hours of fasting.
In a prior conducted study, the presence of the metabolites was traced around in the G0 cell unit. The researchers did find that the levels of the same declines with the age in the individuals. Leucine, isoleucine and ophthalmic acid were found to be the three pivotal ones. This was associated with the heightened levels of increased longevity as well.
Apart from that, Teruya also suggested that they found metabolites imbibing antioxidant properties which could be the reason behind the possible rejuvenating impacts on the body following fasting.
Crucial role of metabolites
Metabolism is the pivotal square and requirement for every body and its functioning. While fasting, the body does undergo an extensive change which is often tied with the overall course of metabolites and metabolism.
During the phase of fasting, the body does have an energy deficit in it, especially including the metabolites like that of butyrates and carnitines. These energy substitution markers do undergo a surge during the time of fasting.
Fasting does more than just contribute to the energy substitution. It has also been witnessed that the phase of fasting has been associated with the heightened metabolism of some the compounds in the body, purine and pyridine being one of them. It also does boost some of the metabolic pathways in the body.
It also enhances the metabolism of the chemical substances associated with certain forms of protein synthesis. The metabolism of the purine and pyrimidine is what ends up producing antioxidants in the body and imposes better antioxidative properties in the body. This reduces the rate of free radical damage in the body.
Apart from every other prospect, the phase of fasting is also believed to have prevailing impacts in prolonging one’s overall life span as well. The detailed mechanism of the same is still a mystery and does require further studies to establish a solid explanation regarding the same.
The researchers suggest that this initial finding concerning the impacts of fasting on the metabolic aspects on the body could be the kick-start everyone needs to move forth with the prospect of fasting in the near future.
