Our ancestors starved to get rid of diseases or following religious practices. Today, refusal to eat is usually practiced for two reasons: to lose weight or to cleanse the body of what is commonly called waste and toxins.
Why not eat dangerously?
Not all weight loss methods are harmless. There are very extreme ones, and fasting is one of them.

Weight can decrease quite quickly, but this is primarily due to fluid loss. So, as soon as a person starts eating again, the old mass will return. When you begin to starve, the body “does not understand” that this is done for weight loss, but perceives the event as a disaster and tries to resist it. The metabolism slows down, organs and tissues begin to consume and spend less energy, store more nutrients (of those that are still left). As a result, when the hunger strike ends, because of these changes, the weight does not just return to its previous indicators, but increases even more. There is a deficiency of vitamins, microelements, proteins. The functions of the liver, kidneys, and other organs can be disturbed, diseases that a person could not have previously suspected make themselves felt. In addition, dehydration may occur.
Fasting in itself is stressful for the body. But some practitioners go even further and prescribe to combine food refusal with regular enemas. The consequences of such a “cleansing” can be catastrophic for the metabolism and for the intestinal microflora.
What relieves hunger?
The concept of “slags” is very abstract, it is most often used by representatives of alternative medicine. Different authors may mean by this term free radicals, certain substances that accumulate in the intestines, blood, individual cells.
The debate about whether it is necessary to “cleanse” the body of toxins and how much fasting helps in this does not subside. Many doctors believe that the need for detoxification of the body has no justification.

Harmful substances that enter the body from the outside and are formed during metabolism can be removed through the kidneys, lungs, skin, lymphatic system, and intestines. Of course, with various diseases, the functions of these organs can be disturbed, but the so-called cleansing will not eliminate the source of the problem.
What cures hunger?
“Hunger is the best medicine”. Proponents of fasting among which there are doctors, claim that they are aware of cases when abstinence from food helped patients with arthritis, intestinal inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, lupus, psoriasis, eczema, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, depression, low blood pressure and others. diseases. All this is personal evidence, is the health benefits of fasting scientifically proven?
Studies have shown that mice that were not fed every second day had improved insulin metabolism, nervous system resistance to damage, and other indicators of health compared to mice that were kept on a low-calorie diet.
In another study, scientists gave laboratory mice fasting for 2-3 days for 6 months. This led to the destruction of old and damaged immune cells in animals and the formation of new ones.
The researchers also found that cancer patients who fasted for three days before chemotherapy were better protected from immune system disorders. Researchers believe that fasting improves immune cell regeneration.
According to tradition, such effects are explained by the fact that the body, when it lacks energy and building material, begins to destroy “unnecessary”, old and damaged cells. Thus, a short-term refusal of food actually renews the immune system.

It is worth remembering that even a short fast is contraindicated for some people:
*pregnant women;
* people suffering from diseases that lead to malnutrition;
*people experiencing chronic malnutrition;
* people with heart rhythm disturbances (even if there is no arrhythmia now, but there were episodes in the past);
patients with severe violations of the liver and kidneys (renal, liver failure);
underweight people;
people under 18;
patients with type I diabetes;
patients after surgery.
people prone to eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia).
Everything should be in moderation, both the food itself and its absence. Regular healthy eating and physical activity bring much more benefits than intermittent fasting. Fasting days can be an alternative to fasting – when you eat one product throughout the day.