Water Fasting: Benefits and Dangers

5-point Summary

• Water fasting should not be undertaken lightly. It can be a difficult and challenging process, both physically and mentally, and if not executed in a safe and responsible manner, can result in serious medical problems.
• One of the primary reasons people choose to do water fasting is for weight loss and/or fat loss. When the body is in a fasted state, it begins to burn stored fat for energy instead of relying on glucose derived from food. This helps with weight loss. Additionally, water fasting can also improve insulin sensitivity which can ultimately lead to better blood sugar control and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Water fasting can also help improve overall health markers such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and inflammation. These changes can ultimately lead to a lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Water fasting can also improve the function of the immune system, helping to protect the body against disease and infection.
• One of the biggest dangers of water fasting is the risk of nutritional deficiencies. When you’re not consuming any food, your body is not getting the essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to function properly. This can lead to fatigue, weakness, and other health problems. Dehydration and low blood sugar are other potential issues to watch out for.
• While a water fast is a generally safe and effective alternative health practice if executed safely and responsibly, it doesn’t come without its own potential risks, dangers, and drawbacks. If you’re uncertain or concerned about trying it, speak to a medical professional or nutritionist before proceeding further. We guide many people who are part of the Daily9 weight loss program to do intermittent fasting in a safe and effective manner so that they can get the benefits of it while avoiding the pitfalls.

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In this blog, we’ll be diving deep into the world of water fasting, defining what it is, what its benefits are, and what its potential dangers are. If you’re looking to try water fasting, then this article is for you! 

What is Water Fasting?

Water fasting is a method of fasting where you only consume water for a certain period of time. During that time, you have no other food or drink and so avoid consumption of any calories whatsoever. You may do water fasting for many reasons including for health and/or spiritual/religious purposes.

The duration of a water fast can range from several hours to a few days, even reaching as long as several weeks in some religious practices. However, it is not recommended, encouraged, or promoted to fast for more than a day or two without medical supervision.

It is important to note that water fasting should not be undertaken lightly. It can be a difficult and challenging process, both physically and mentally, and if not executed in a safe and responsible manner, can result in serious medical problems. 

It is not recommended for children and adolescents, people with certain health conditions such as anemia and diabetes, or pregnant/breastfeeding women. Before attempting any type of fasting protocol, it is imperative to consult with a healthcare professional or nutritionist to ensure that such a practice is safe and appropriate for you.

5 benefits of Water Fasting

The practice of fasting has been around for centuries, long practiced for spiritual and religious purposes. In recent years, however, fasting has gained popularity for its claimed health benefits, including that it can help with weight loss and fat loss. 

Now, you may be wondering why anyone would want to go without food for an extended period?

Well, while it might be a minor inconvenience in the interim, there are several short-term and long-term health and wellness benefits of water fasting that might surprise you. Let’s go through each of these benefits of water fasting in detail.

Weight Loss

One of the primary reasons people choose to do water fasting is for weight loss and/or fat loss. When the body is in a fasted state, it begins to burn stored fat for energy instead of relying on glucose derived from food.

This can lead to significant weight loss in a short period of time. Additionally, water fasting can also improve insulin sensitivity which can ultimately lead to better blood sugar control and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Improved Health Markers

Another potential benefit of water fasting is its ability to improve overall health markers such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and inflammation. These changes can ultimately lead to a lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

If you are concerned about such health issues, it would be advisable to take a blood test both before and after trying water fasting to examine the results you get from it. 

Also Read: Benefits Of Drinking Water

Detoxification

While the word detoxification (or detox for short) is often thrown around like a buzzword, fasting can, in fact, detoxify and cleanse the body’s cellular systems if the duration of the fast is long enough for these processes to be triggered. 

As such, some people also use water fasting as a way to detoxify the body after a big binge, as it can help to eliminate toxins from the liver and kidneys. Water fasting can also improve the function of the immune system, helping to protect the body against disease and infection.

Mental Clarity

Fasting can also have a positive effect on the brain. Not only can it improve focus and concentration but it can also boost mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and relieve general depressive symptoms.

Whether you’re someone who struggles with their mental health or you simply live a busy and fast-paced life that can oftentimes result in brain fog and fatigue, water fasting might just be for you. 

Increased Longevity

Finally and arguably most exciting is recent research that suggests that fasting, particularly intermittent fasting, can increase longevity and overall healthspan in both animals and humans.

While research is still ongoing and not yet conclusive, it’s possible that water fasting may have such effects. If you’re keen to improve your health, you might want to give water fasting a try as an experiment.

Remember, water fasting, or any type of fasting for that matter, should be done under the supervision of a healthcare professional or nutritionist, especially if it’s your first time practicing it. Additionally, one should ease back into eating after a water fast to avoid any digestive issues.

While the benefits are vast regarding water fasting, such a practice doesn’t come without its potential drawbacks. Let’s look at some potential side effects of water fasting.

3 potential Dangers of Water Fasting 

While a water fast can offer a plethora of benefits, there are also potential dangers and drawbacks to be aware of before attempting it. Note that the majority of the following potential dangers occur usually when it’s approached and executed incorrectly, unsafely, and irresponsibly.

With that said, here are several potential dangers or drawbacks of water fasting.

• Nutritional Deficiencies: One of the biggest dangers of water fasting is the risk of nutritional deficiencies. When you’re not consuming any food, your body is not getting the essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to function properly. This can lead to fatigue, weakness, and other health problems.
• Dehydration: Another potential danger of water fasting is dehydration. When you’re not consuming any food, it can be easy to forget to drink enough water. This can lead to dehydration, which can cause headaches, dizziness, and other symptoms.
• Low Blood Sugar: Fasting can also cause low blood sugar, which can lead to symptoms such as shakiness, weakness, and confusion. People with diabetes or other blood sugar disorders should be particularly careful when fasting.

Some people may also experience other unwanted side effects during a water fast such as headaches, muscle cramps, nausea, constipation, bloating, indigestion, fatigue, and lethargy. 

Evidently, these side effects can be particularly challenging and concerning if the individual participating is not adequately prepared for the fast itself.

Also Read:  The Right Way To Do Intermittent Fasting

A final word

While a water fast is a generally safe and effective alternative health practice if executed safely and responsibly, it doesn’t come without its own potential risks, dangers, and drawbacks.

If you’re uncertain or concerned about participating, don’t hesitate to speak to a medical professional or nutritionist before proceeding further.

We guide many people who are part of the Daily9 weight loss program to do intermittent fasting in a safe and effective manner so that they can get the benefits of it while avoiding the pitfalls.

About the Author

Coach Shivani

Shivani is a Precision Nutrition-Certified Nutrition Coach with experience of coaching thousands of women. As a mom of two, Shivani knows what it takes for women to achieve weight loss & a healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise & sleep habits. She dislikes one-size-fits-all type advice.