May Allah accept your fasting, prayers, and good deeds during this blessed month. I am pleased to briefly explain the importance of fasting for the health of the human body in an intensive article.
Satiety and hunger are regulated in the human body by a complex system of hormones and neurotransmitters, signaling the body to eat or stop eating. This regulation is essential for regulating appetite and maintaining a balanced energy supply that provides the necessary energy for physiological functions in the human body.
Satiety and hunger are regulated in the human body by five main hormones.
1. Ghrelin: Also known as the "hunger hormone," it is secreted from the stomach and stimulates the brain to increase appetite and enhance our feelings of hunger.
2. Leptin: Also known as the "satiety hormone," it is secreted from fat cells and stimulates feelings of fullness and the desire to stop eating.
3. Cholecystokinin: Secreted from the intestine in response to fat and protein intake and stimulates the stomach to slow down the emptying of its food contents.
4. Peptide YY: (PYY) is secreted from the intestine after eating. It enhances feelings of fullness.
5. Insulin: Secreted from the pancreas and helps regulate blood sugar levels and plays a major role in hunger.
The digestive process and the feeling of satiety and hunger are not only affected by hormonal and physiological factors, but are also affected by psychological conditions, stress and anxiety, all of which affect hormones, which in turn lead to increased or decreased appetite.
A British study found that eating for only ten hours and abstaining for fourteen hours leads to increased energy levels, improved mood, and reduced hunger. This is where the concept of intermittent fasting emerged, as a health-preserving and weight-loss regimen for obese individuals. During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, abstaining from food and drink, in an act of worship to the Almighty Creator, one of the five pillars of Islam. This unique fast has many health benefits, including reducing harmful cholesterol, suppressing appetite, and eliminating toxins for an entire month. Scientists have observed that fasting during Ramadan stimulates the body to cleanse itself by detoxifying and devouring cancer cells and aging cells. It also combats chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and Alzheimer's by creating special functional proteins that form under starvation conditions and gather around cancer cells and dead cells, breaking them down and recycling their contents within the body. Scientists have discovered that the process of autophagy requires unconventional conditions that enable the body to carry out this process. These conditions include abstaining from eating and drinking for a period of no less than ten hours and no more than sixteen hours, provided that the person performs his daily activities normally. This is what Ramadan fasting provides with high precision through repeated fasting for several days, leading to the elimination of cancer cells and the prevention of the formation of harmful cells in the body. Repeated fasting for a full month helped scientists observe the formation of specific proteins called autophagisomes in the brain, heart, and some tissues. These proteins act like giant brooms that swallow up any unwanted cells in the body, analyze them, and remove them from the body. From the above, we can conclude that fasting is a golden opportunity to rehabilitate the body and cleanse it of toxins and harmful cells that form throughout the year. For this reason, the greatest Prophet, our Master Mohammad, peace and blessings be upon him, fasted every Monday and Thursday of each week, as well as the white nights of each month. This is a clear call from him, peace and blessings be upon him, to emphasize the importance of frequent fasting throughout the year. Therefore, he said, "Fast and you will be healthy." Finally, I ask Almighty Allah to make fasting healthy for your bodies, and to bring you back the month of Ramadan while you are enjoying good health.
