Dry fasting, meaning abstaining from water in addition to food, may offer more rapid healing, but necessitates a slower, more deliberate approach.
Digestion is an important biological function with cascading effects on the entire body. Ceasing digestion can be just as vital for health because it offers the body a state of rest in which it can repair itself.
Research continues to document the benefits of fasting, especially for longer periods. However, the practice can be difficult even for those who can tolerate it.
“The problem with prolonged fasting is the prolonged part,” chiropractor and health influencer Eric Berg told an audience at a recent Hack Your Health conference in Austin, Texas. “It’s not easy. I have a solution. It’s something that can get better results in faster time.”
Called “dry fasting,” it’s a form of fasting that removes all forms of hydration—tea, coffee, supplements, and even water—as well as food. Animal and other studies hint that dry fasting for one day may offer the same benefits as three days of fasting from food while still drinking water—known as “water fasting.”
More recently, researchers have conducted human studies noting benefits that are protective against heart disease, cancer, and inflammation.
Dr. Berg explained, however, that the practice of dry fasting requires a gradual approach, knowledge about how to fuel the body correctly when breaking the fast, a mindset shift regarding dehydration, and possibly a conversion with your doctor.
“It’s pretty easy to do, especially if you do it on a gradient slowly. You can do it for 12 hours, between sunsets and sunrises,” he said. “It is not that hard to do a dry fast for 12 hours, and it’s not dangerous.”
Protective Benefits
Many religions practice fasting, and Muslims fast from all food and water from sunrise to sunset for an entire month during the time of Ramadan. The fasting during Ramadan has allowed researchers to examine the effects of dry fasting.
One study published in 2022 in Metabolic Open found decreased proteins associated with atherosclerosis, heart disease, and cancer promotion and an increase in proteins capable of suppressing cancer and inflammation among those fasting for Ramadan.
By Amy Denney
