Whether your goal is to lose weight, take your wellness journey to a new level or get help managing a chronic condition, a fasting retreat may be a great way to start the year.
“Fasting has been shown to have many health benefits, from increased weight loss to better brain function,” the health experts at Healthline report. “Some studies have found that fasting can help decrease levels of inflammation and help promote better health.”
If you have been diagnosed with an irritable bowel disease, such as Crohn’s Disease or ulcerative colitis, one of the studies indicating the benefits of fasting will be of particular intertest.
Fasting Offers Hope for IBD Patients
A recent study published by Elsevier Inc. added to the scientific literature indicating the benefits of fasting.
Priya Rangan and Inyoung Choi of the Longevity Institute at the School of Gerontology in the University of Southern California’s Department of Biological Sciences are the lead authors on “Fasting-Mimicking Diet Modulates Microbiota and Promotes Intestinal Regeneration to Reduce Inflammatory Bowel Disease Pathology,” which reported that, “Dietary interventions are potentially effective therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs).”
The researchers tested the effect of a four-day fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) on a model reflecting the symptoms and pathology associated with IBD. “These FMD cycles reduced intestinal inflammation, increased stem cell number, stimulated protective gut microbiota, and reversed intestinal pathology caused by DSS, whereas water-only fasting increased regenerative and reduced inflammatory markers without reversing pathology,” the report says.
Balance for Life, which offers a variety of wellness retreats along the sun-drenched coast of Southeast Florida, is one of only two centers in the country that currently provide fully supervised water-only fasting retreats.
If you would like information about a fasting retreat that is also a beach getaway, we hope you will contact us.
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