24 Hour Fast – 13 Tips, Benefits, And Expectations – BHP50

Disclaimer:  Fasting is not appropriate for everyone.  Please check with your doctor before beginning any fasting program.

Over the last few years I kept hearing about the benefits of intermittent fasting like reduction in body fat, better insulin resistance, reduced inflammation, etc.  Since I had already been doing an overnight fast of 16 hours for several years, I felt like I had already ticked that box.  Then I started hearing that there are some other very exciting benefits of fasting kick in at around the 24 hour mark. 

Fasting isn’t anything new of course.  Yes it is a bit trendy now with all of the health benefits coming out in research, but it has been used for centuries.  In fact Hippocrates, widely regarded as the “Father of Medicine”, is one of first physicians to be documented as a supporter of fasting as he felt it helped the body heal itself.  This was over 2,000 years ago!

Google “fasting” and you will bombarded with articles and websites on intermittent fasting and weight loss.  There is seemingly not as much love for prolonged fasting of 24 hours or more.  Maybe because a 24 hour fast sounds very difficult.  I know it did for me.  It took me years of hearing the benefits before I summoned the energy to give it a try. Also I have noted there is a funny thing with fasting terminology.  Some say 24-48 is prolonged or long term and others say this is a short fast or even intermittent.  It seems that most of the research journals describe prolonged fasting as 24 hours or more, and as such this is the definition I will use.  And my focus with prolonged fasting is not weight loss or six pack abs.  It is all about longevity.

Here are the tips, benefits, and what to expect for your first 24 hour fast:

1. It Is All About The Autophagy

The most exciting to me is the process of cell turnover called autophagy.  This is basically a spring cleaning for your cells where your body gets rid of dysfunctional cells (like cancer cells) and creates new ones!  With a history of cancer in my family this really got me fired up to give it a try. I recently heard Dr. Stephen Cabral call prolonged fasting (fasting 24 or more hours) the “fountain of youth”.  He uses it in his practice as a tool to help patients heal themselves from the inside.  

A  2010 study in Autophagy showed a large amount of autophagy in fasting mice, especially between 24 and 48 hours of fasting. 2018 article on MIT website showing that stem cells in intestine can double in regeneration with 24 hours of fasting in study on mice. As we get older our bodies natural ability to do autophagy cell cleaning can be reduced and this can lead increased risk of cancer and Alzheimer’s.  Basically we need to give our bodies an occasional dedicated rest from eating so it has time to get rid of the cellular trash.

2. Build Up With Intermittent Fasting First

If the prospect of not eating for an entire day sounds scary to you at first, it was for me, then you can slowly work you way up to a 24 hour fast with intermittent fasting.  There are various types of intermittent f...