REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA- Fasting in Islam is diverse, especially sunnah fasting which is highly recommended. In this case, scientists reveal that people who diligently fast can age much longer.
Agus Rahmadi in the book Hikmah Puasa Perspektif Hadis dan Medis said that one of the benefits of fasting revealed by scientific research is that it can prolong life. This conclusion is understood from the results of the research of Vladimir Nikitin, a Russian scientist.
This study started from the results of his observations of the physical condition of Indonesians. He wondered why so many Indonesians were fat when they were doing fasting, both mandatory fasting and sunnah fasting.
Finally he conducted research by making mice the object of his research. He sampled five groups of mice. Each of the diets of this group is regulated and differs between each other.
Some are fed every day, others are fasted. Some are not even fed at all. The first group of rats was fasted Monday and Thursday, the second group was fasted the fasting model of David, and the third group of rats was fasted daily without any sahur and iftar, and the next group of rats were fed daily.
As a result, it turned out that mice that were fed daily, reached only 2.5 years of age. Whereas the group of rats that fasted daily without being fed did not age long. While the group of mice that fasted Monday-Thursday and fasted David had a relative age of four years. So with his research, Vladimir concluded that fasting can lead to longevity.
The head of the Immunology Working Group of the National Association of Allergy and Clinical Immunology of Turkey (AID), Professor Sebnem Kilic Gultekin stated that fasting provides good benefits to the health of the body. Especially for those who study the intermittent fasting diet, it will certainly be more understanding.
Ramadan fast is the same as when one goes on an intermittent diet. Then fasting will give an excellent effect, such as repairing the cells in the body. Provided that the intake of food and liquids is sufficient at the time of fasting and sahur
“When the body does not receive food for 14 hours to 16 hours, then antioxidant defense mechanisms come into play,” Gultekin told Daily Sabah, Sunday (9/4/2023)
He explained, that DNA repair starts in cells and autophagy, which is the body's way of cleaning damaged cells to get new, healthier cells. The repair of these cells in the body can occur after the body has had a long fast.
Gultekin states that the rest given to these foods plays an important role in the destruction of misfolded or clustered proteins, the clearance of damaged organelles and the elimination of intracellular pathogens.
“Holding back hunger for a long time leads to improved brain function, and increased learning and memory capacity. Ketone bodies, which occur as a result of the breakdown of fat cells after a long fast, delay the aging of our brain and body and play an important role in the active functioning of metabolism,” he explains.
Gultekin stated that being hungry for a long time also led to a partial improvement in the complaints of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients.
“This situation also reduces the risk of obesity, rheumatological diseases and cancer. It has been shown that the mode of nutrition in patients receiving chemotherapy responds better to treatment,” Gultekin said.
“Ramadan fasting brings youth and health to the body by repairing the cells, provided that the fluid remains fulfilled by the time the hours are allowed to eat. Above all, our immune system takes advantage of this and does the annual maintenance of our body,” he explains.
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