Why fasting for three days can 'rejuvenate the body's entire immune system'

A new study suggests that fasting for three days will trigger the body to start producing new white blood cells.

12:55 12 June 2014

Based on a recent study, fasting for at least three days can help in regenerating the entire immune system as it triggers the body to start producing new white blood cells, which fights infection.

 

Scientists said that the discovery can be particularly helpful for those people who have compromised immune system such as cancer patients on chemotherapy. It is also said to be beneficial to the elderly whose immune system becomes less effective as they age. 

 

Prof Valter Longo, Professor of Gerontology and the Biological Sciences at the University of California, said: "It gives the 'OK' for stem cells to go ahead and begin proliferating and rebuild the entire system.” 

 

"And the good news is that the body got rid of the parts of the system that might be damaged or old, the inefficient parts, during the fasting.

 

“Now, if you start with a system heavily damaged by chemotherapy or ageing, fasting cycles can generate, literally, a new immune system."

 

The study, which involved the participation of people who were asked to regularly fast for between two and four days over a six-month period, found that prolonged fasting reduces the enzyme PKA, which is linked to ageing and a hormone which increase cancer risk and tumour growth.