Today, Saturday, the National Research Center issued a medical bulletin for Dr. Iman Mostafa, professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences – the National Research Center on Immune Fasting, where Dr. Iman Mostafa said, “Your food is your medicine, and your disease is in your food the saying of the father of medicine,” stressing that the ritual of fasting occupies a prominent position. In its impact on health in general and immunity in particular, where it was found that Ramadan fasting helps reduce high blood pressure, improve cholesterol level, as well as blood sugar level, and may be a preventive and curative factor in diseases. cancerIt also has an effective role in strengthening the immune system.
She explained, the immune system in the human body performs a large system of vital processes to protect the body from diseases, toxins and cancer cells, as the immune system consists of white blood cells and many proteins such as cytokines and antibodies, and the immune system also consists of tissues such as the skin, cornea of the eye and the lining mucosa For the respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems, spleen, lymph nodes, tonsils, appendix, bone marrow, and thymus.
She pointed out that the immune system works according to two immune systems: innate or natural immunity, which is inherited from parents, and acquired immunity as a result of infection with a disease or taking various vaccinations.
And she went on, it was found that fasting contributes to a significant role in strengthening both natural and acquired immunity, and an American study showed that fasting for long hours stimulates the activity of the immune system, getting rid of dead or damaged cells that the body does not need and helping to produce new cells, which enhances immunity. Research on the effect of intermittent fasting (such as Ramadan fasting) that lasts about 16 hours or more on immune cells, and it was found that these cells leave the bloodstream during fasting and resort to the bone marrow known to be rich in nutrients to start multiplying, enhancing its energy, activity and ability to protect the body and reduce the chances of disease Like Corona.
Fasting stimulates the secretion of many proteins, which in turn help in regulating metabolic processes, DNA repair, strengthening immunity and increasing cognitive abilities. Fasting also affects the gut microbiome, sequestering nutrients when food is limited, which prevents germs from gaining the energy they need to contract disease.
According to the medical bulletin, fasting increases the secretion of endorphins that cause happiness, which in turn modifies the production of antibodies from immune cells, calming the immune system. Fasting also increases the ability of white blood cells, strengthening them to eliminate microbes, which reduces the chances of infection.
The effect of fasting on the immunity of athletes was studied and it was found that it does not negatively affect them, but it increases the rate of fatigue, which returns to its normal level after the end of Ramadan.
She pointed out that it is not recommended for some schizophrenia patients to fast because it causes some changes in their immune cells that contribute to the delay in their health, and on the contrary, some studies have shown that fasting has a positive role in some autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Inflammatory bowel disease. Fasting improves symptoms by replenishing damaged immune cells with healthy ones.
It is advised to follow a healthy balanced diet after fasting during breakfast in order to take full advantage of the effect of fasting on the immune system. It is also recommended to eat meals containing vitamins, minerals and probiotics, while drinking sufficient quantities of water. In citrus fruits, strawberries, peppers, parsley, etc., the body cannot produce or store it. It is also recommended to eat omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish, flax seeds and nuts. In addition to eating iron-rich foods such as red meat and broccoli, eating a lot of vegetables and fruits, and staying away as much as possible from foods rich in sugar, fat, salt and processed foods because of their negative effects on the immune system in particular and on health in general.
It is necessary to quit smoking because nicotine exhausts the immune system when it enters the lungs and reduces the work of the mucous membranes in the trachea and thus facilitates the passage of germs without protection, causing exposure to diseases. Thus, fasting can be used to quit smoking and protect those mucous membranes.