Fasting helps improve functions of body systems

Islamabad: A month-long fasting in the holy month of Ramazan helps improve functioning of almost all the body systems provided a person opting for fasting follows a proper diet plan, sleeping pattern and medication plan if needed.

Fasting is beneficial for both physical and mental health. It brings a wholesome physiological rest for the digestive tract and central nervous system that certainly normalizes metabolism and as well improves functioning of the body systems. Fasting also gives a significant rest to the stomach, intestines and colon enabling the systems to repair damaged structures.

Studies reveal that fasting serves as a great source of breaking addictions to harmful substances and is a means of conquering one’s anger and maintaining self-discipline. Patients suffering from ailments like piles, colitis, and gastritis etc may recover speedily under the fast while the alimentary tract becomes practically free of bacteria during fast and the small intestine becomes sterile.

Experts believe that fasting for a month improves the process of decomposing and eliminating waste toxic materials from the body and helps curing cardiovascular and circulatory diseases, diseases of the digestive system, diseases of locomotor system, including rheumatism, respiratory system diseases including asthma, and the early stages of malignant cancer.

Under fasting, the capability of the body to assimilate proteins, fats, carbohydrates, starches, sugars, minerals and vitamins improves mainly because all the organs of the body work properly. Medically, it is proven that Islamic fasting lowers blood sugar, cholesterol and systolic blood pressure and it can be said that fasting in Ramazan can be an ideal recommendation for treatment of mild to moderate, stable, non-insulin diabetes, obesity and essential hypertension.

Experts say that if a person fasts for a month and follows the principles of Islam, the practice serves as a natural way to normalize body weight as it dissolves all unnecessary and unnatural fat deposits from all over the body and the body is relieved of a tremendous burden.

Experts say that fasting in the holy month of Ramazan reduces stress. It is important that stress increases the blood glucose by increasing the catecholamine level and any tool to lower the stress that is biofeedback or relaxation improves diabetic control. Fasting can also be used to break addictions to harmful substances like tobacco, drugs, alcohol, tea, coffee and other habit-forming beverages.

Experts, however, are of the view that to get the maximum benefits from Islamic fasting in Ramazan, one must follow a proper dietary plan and take healthy diet at ‘Iftar’ and ‘Sehr’ such as ‘fruit chaat’, vegetable salad, macronis, simple ‘chapati’ (a loaf of bread), pulses, boiled rice, potatoes and peas etc.

Experts say that the consumption of unhealthy diet in Ramazan such as deep-fried foods including ‘samosas’, ‘pakoras’, ‘kachoris’, ‘jalabis’, and ‘parathas’ may cause health hazards for both the healthy persons and chronic patients as all these foods increase your blood LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), which is bad for your health and for your heart. Experts say that healthy persons while fasting in the holy month of Ramazan can eat deep-fried foods for taste only but a belly full of these can not be recommended. Also the consumption of excessive amounts of food during ‘Sehr’ or ‘Iftar’ is injurious to health.