{"id":273376,"date":"2020-05-16T14:12:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-16T17:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=273376"},"modified":"2020-05-18T11:14:15","modified_gmt":"2020-05-18T14:14:15","slug":"intermittent-fasting-can-boost-immunity-in-quarantine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/intermittent-fasting-can-boost-immunity-in-quarantine\/","title":{"rendered":"Intermittent fasting can boost immunity in quarantine"},"content":{"rendered":"

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Intermittent fasting of 14 to 16 hours can boost the immune system, help control blood sugar, as well as reducing weight, belly fat, blood pressure, cholesterol and systemic inflammation, among other benefits. That is what Dr. Riad Younes, director-general at the Oncology Center of Hospital Oswaldo Cruz said in the first culture and health webinar hosted by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce<\/strong> in partnership with the Institute of Arab Culture (ICArabe) last Friday (16) night. The topic was \u201cThe immune and health benefits of intermittent fasting.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his talk, Younes said that, \u201cIn addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is going through another epidemic that must be fought: obesity.\u201d He said that last year alone 4.8 million people died from obesity-related problems, which accounted for 8% of the deaths in the period. \u201cLittle more than a third of the population is overweight, and 13% is obese \u2013 it\u2019s a global public health problem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The doctor said that, as the weight increases, so do the chances of diseases such as diabetes, asthma, arthritis, high blood pressure and even cancer. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about aesthetics, we have to be careful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Younes added that, during years, the doctors\u2019 recommendations for losing weight was to count the calories of the diet, eat less and exercise more. \u201cMost recently, the focus has changed from quality to the time you eat, which is now as important as what you eat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In the intermittent fasting, you can drink water and sugar-free beverages such as coffee and tea. The benefits listed by Younes are weight loss, decrease in the intake of calories, candies, alcohol and sugary drinks. \u201cIt also helps control blood sugar and reduce blood sugar spikes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Riad Younes follows intermittent fasting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A study from January 2020 evaluated overweight people with diabetes and high cholesterol. They fasted for 14 hours for 12 weeks. \u201cThe study saw a decrease in weight, waist circumference, belly fat, blood pressure, cholesterol and glycated hemoglobin,\u201d Younes said. It can also reduce systemic inflammation, one of the major causes of metabolic syndrome, he says, particularly when fasting starts in the evening, after 5 pm.<\/p>\n

The fasting can also improve markers of cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, blood sugar, insulin, as well as increasing longevity and reduce the occurrence of serious diseases such as cancer and obesity, Younes said in the webinar.<\/p>\n

Another benefit of the practice is the autophagy, a cellular \u201cself-cleansing\u201d that can improve the chances to fight several diseases such as cancer. \u201cThe cellular cleansing helps make our lives longer, eliminates cell-killing components and delays the onset of degenerative diseases such as Parkinson\u2019s, Alzheimer\u2019s, and others,\u201d Federal University of S\u00e3o Paulo (Unifesp) president and ICArabe founder Soraya Smaili said during the webinar.<\/p>\n

\u201cInducing autophagy is important for the survival of cells. Autophagy starts into two hours of fasting and peaks into six. After 12 hours, a degradation process starts, so we can\u2019t extend the fasting for much longer than 12 hours, as it can cause cell death instead of autophagy. The ideal is between 6 and 12 hours to not harm the cell,\u201d Smaili said.<\/p>\n

Riad Younes added, \u201cWhen fasting for 12 hours, we are not without food for 12 hours. Everything remains normal for several hours, then it starts to decline, so you can fast for 14 to 16 hours,\u201d the doctor said.<\/p>\n

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Clockwise, Samili, Younes and Hannun<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The most adopted model of intermittent fasting is fasting for 16 hours and eating for 8 hours, Younes said. During the fast, only water and sugar-free drinks are allowed. The benefits include reducing blood pressure, cholesterol and its derivatives, as well as the risks for heart attack, stroke and cancer.<\/p>\n

When breaking fast, it\u2019s important to eat a balanced diet, limit the intake of sugar and alcohol, and give preference to whole foods. \u201cThe fast came to break with some traditional dogmas, such as the idea that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that the quality of the diet is the most important,\u201d Younes said. Both he and Smaili said that they follow the intermittent fasting.<\/p>\n

But fasting is not for all.<\/strong> The practice is not recommended for patients with unstable and hard-to-manage diabetes, people over 70 and under 16, pregnant women, patients with cardiovascular illness, chronic kidney disease, anorexia, bulimia, as well as too skinny or fragile people or those that have been hospitalized recently.<\/p>\n

Ramadan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ramadan is the holy month of Islam when Muslims go on a fast from sunup to sundown. This year\u2019s started on April 23 and will end on May 23. \u201cThe fast of Ramadan ranges between 13 to 18 hours, everyday for 30 days, and you can eat whatever you want at night, for 6 to 11 hours. It’s an intermittent fasting, after all you don\u2019t eat anything for a period, but with some differences. The fasting is during the day and you can\u2019t drink fluids, which can cause a slight dehydration, and you can eat whatever you want at night,\u201d Younes said.<\/p>\n

The practitioners of Ramadan lose an average of 1.5 kg after this period but recover the weight within less than a month. Cholesterol also decreases a little. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have a particular diet. The immunity decreases a little, but not enough to increase the risk of COVID-19 infection \u2013 you can fast without any problem,\u201d Younes said. Restrictions are for patients with chronic diseases as well as diabetes, nephropathy and cardiovascular patients.<\/p>\n

Smaili pointed out the key role of Islam for the scientific advance, encouraging knowledge, studies and science by founding libraries, translating old texts and establishing the first universities as well as the first hospital as a treatment and education facility. \u201cScience is as important as prayers \u2013 it\u2019s a saying from those times that has never been so pertinent, especially today,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Riad Younes is also the Marketing vice president at the Arab Chamber. Arab Chamber president Rubens Hannun opened the panel. \u201cThe Arab Chamber aims at connecting Arabs and Brazilians for the economic, social and cultural development, and we know that culture and health are a great foundation for business and the development and the growth of people and societies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Watch the full webinar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Translated by Guilherme Miranda<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Burger\/Phanie\/AFP<\/div>\n
Reproduction<\/div>\n
Reproduction<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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