4 ms·
Fasting seems like the opposite of stress- your digestive tract isn't actually doing anything
by trentmb 10y ago
Fasting seems like the opposite of stress- your digestive tract isn't actually doing anything
- robbiep 10y agoActually, you're well off, but not for the reason you think. Let me explain. Fasting invokes all your counter-regulatory hormones: cortisol, adrenaline, others but they are the big players - because not having easy access to sugar leads to a stress response. So it isn't gut rest, it's physiological phase change that is causing the stress response
- agumonkey 10y agoHow long is the stress response ? is it only transient before switching to a "fasting" regime or is it long lasting ?
- robbiep 10y agoI guess depends on your definition of a stress response; most people would consider it to be a 'stress response' whilst you have high adrenergic/sympathetic activity. Upon activation of the parasympathetic nervous system there will be a gradual decrease in cortisol and a rapid decrease in adrenaline. Thyroid hormone is also going to be implicated somewhere along with a host of other hormones so I have simplified but suffice to say it's shades of grey on the way in and out
- spydum 10y agodigestive tract maybe not, but metabolism/endocrine system does actually respond.
- foota 10y agoI think the stress in that case comes from your body reacting to not having food.
- 100ideas 10y agoTwo days of fasting apparently causes metabolically expensive parts of the immune system to go into low-power mode w/ white blood cell apoptosis. Resuming eating on day three reboots everything and you end up a fresh young army of white blood cells.
- scorpioxy 10y agoAnywhere i can read more about this? low-power mode and reboots are two terms that are used a lot by mommy bloggers selling ebooks promoting fad diets. Is there any published researchers that talks about this?
- sjcsjc 10y agoNot using those specific terms, unsurprisingly, but this may be of interest: https://news.usc.edu/63669/fasting-triggers-stem-cell-regeneration-of-damaged-old-immune-system/ https://news.usc.edu/63669/fasting-triggers-stem-cell-regene...
- coldtea 10y agoStress is not about doing a lot, it's about being anxious. The digestive tract may not do anything, but the body gets into "we're fighting possible starvation" mode.
- nicky0 10y agoThe word stress has a broader meaning than the mental/anxiety aspect though.