What complications and consequences can occur during fasting?

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Many representatives of the fairer sex like to go on various diets and even resort to fasting in order to have a beautiful and slender figure. But before you limit yourself in food, you need to study what the consequences of fasting are, so as not to cause serious harm to the body.

It is also recommended to consult a doctor, because not everyone can use such a radical method of losing weight. The doctor will examine the body and make a verdict. In addition, he will tell you how to fast correctly and how long you can do it. Only after this can you begin the procedure.

How does the body behave during hunger?

It is not uncommon for patients to complain of bad breath during fasting, and diarrhea during fasting; many also have stomach pain and heartburn during fasting; the causes of these ailments are quite simple, and we will write about them in more detail below. So, it is worth considering how the human body behaves if it stops receiving food, which is a valuable and only source of energy. Now we will only talk about fasting that lasts more than two days, since this can already be considered a long fast.

Since food does not enter the stomach, after a few days of intense work the body has to switch to its own resources, which were constantly preserved all the time before famine. Unfortunately, when the body uses its resources, this negatively affects the functioning of all organ systems. The fact is that our body spends not only unnecessary fats, but also very important proteins that are involved in the process of creating new cells.

If there is not enough protein, this leads to sagging skin, then wrinkles appear, and health also worsens significantly as the muscles weaken. When fasting lasts too long, a person develops protein and energy malnutrition, which can vary in severity, and cases of exhaustion are not uncommon.

At the same time, the quality of life also deteriorates, since the girl simply cannot think about anything else, such as the feeling of hunger; often the smell of acetone may appear on her breath during fasting; diarrhea is also observed; the abdomen and stomach area may hurt, after a while Over time, severe weakness and increasing nausea appear.

Many people believe that hunger helps increase immunity, but this is not true, because during such a period the body’s defenses sharply decrease, for this reason, it is during the period of complete abstinence from food that women contract flu and colds. It is not uncommon to observe an exacerbation of other chronic diseases that have not bothered a woman for a long time.

Since the immune system is suppressed, the body cannot normally resist even the simplest diseases, so there is no talk about more serious health problems. Many women who were adherents of hunger experienced the development of tumors, their mental abilities were also significantly reduced, and their hormonal levels were significantly disrupted, which led to infertility. Doctors noticed that starving people were more likely to experience stomach and intestinal disorders, women also became more nervous, the functioning of the heart and blood vessels worsened, electrolyte imbalance occurred, and this led to fainting and convulsions.

Several years ago, doctors recommended strict fasting to their patients if the patient was taken to the hospital with acute appendicitis, stomach and intestinal bleeding, as well as severe injuries in which a person loses consciousness for a long time. But although this fast was used for a certain time, each patient was given intravenous substances such as glucose, electrolytes and various amino acids in liquid form. All these components were vitally necessary for a person in serious condition, since glucose and other components helped the body to fully recover.

Today, doctors are confident that a complete refusal of food cannot benefit the patient, since every body needs adequate nutrition, even unconscious patients must receive the necessary substances.

If the patient is unconscious, then a special energy mixture is used for him from substances that will help support human life; such mixtures use proteins, light fats, amino acids and carbohydrates. Previously, the compounds were administered intravenously, but now nutritional mixtures are introduced into the body through a special tube if a person cannot feed himself. Based on this, it can be understood that refusing to eat simply cannot be beneficial for the body, since it is a certain stress and risk.

The effect of hunger on the body has already been fully studied, for this reason you can find many arguments about why it is better not to give up food, especially for a long time. Many girls can say that only with the help of hunger can they remove extra pounds from their waist, but even here there is danger. The thing is that when the body realizes that food is not entering the stomach, it begins to use up all the stored resources, so the weight gradually decreases.

But as soon as a woman leaves the diet, the body immediately stores what it eats into fat deposits, and the feeling of hunger becomes stronger, forcing the woman to overeat. All this leads not only to rapid weight gain, but also to deterioration of health; in addition, the kilograms usually return in excess.

Preventive actions

To prevent the dangerous consequences of malnutrition, the main recommendation is a healthy, nutritious diet.
When there is insufficient food supply, an important condition is its balanced composition. There are food groups that should be included in every person's diet:

  1. Bread, rice, potatoes and other starchy foods.
  2. Milk and dairy products.
  3. Fruits and vegetables.
  4. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and other non-dairy sources of protein.
  5. Butter and vegetable oils.

Health effects of hunger


The effect of prolonged hunger on the body can be very dangerous; just consider the examples of women who very often practice this method of weight loss.
It is worth remembering that a lack of nutrients will certainly affect the normal functioning of the body, because the body is deprived not only of its usual energy, but also of important trace elements, minerals and vitamins. Not only the body itself suffers, but also the beauty of a woman; for starters, the lack of substances affects the health of nails, teeth, hair and skin, nails peel, teeth darken and decay, and hair falls out. You can also pay attention to the skin, it will become duller, pimples will begin to appear much more often, and elasticity will decrease and wrinkles will be more noticeable.

Obese girls should not practice this method at all, since the extra pounds begin to fall off quickly enough, and the skin does not have time to adapt to such rapid work. As a result, it turns out that the skin sags and becomes flabby, this will be noticeable on the face, in the hips, abdomen, and also on the buttocks. In addition, the body begins to break down protein, which provides skin elasticity, and when there is less protein in the skin, the appearance deteriorates significantly.

Nutrient deficiencies

Malnutrition causes deficiency of various nutrients in the human body, which can lead to numerous diseases and disorders. The table lists the various substances and the consequences that result from the absence or excess of these substances in the human body.

NutrientsShortageExcess
Food energyHunger, InsanityObesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases
Simple carbohydratesNor the consequencesDiabetes mellitus, obesity
Complex carbohydratesNor the consequencesObesity
Saturated fatsLow levels of sex hormonesCardiovascular diseases
Trans fatsNor the consequencesCardiovascular diseases
Unsaturated fatsNor the consequencesObesity
FatMalabsorption of fat-soluble vitamins, protein poisoning (if protein intake is high)Cardiovascular diseases (supposedly by some scientists)
Omega-3 fatsCardiovascular diseasesBleeding, hemorrhage
Omega-6 fatsNor the consequencesCardiovascular diseases, cancer
CholesterolNor the consequencesCardiovascular diseases
SquirrelsKwashiorkorProtein poisoning
SodiumHyponatremiaHypernatremia, hypertension
IronIron deficiency: AnemiaCirrhosis, cardiovascular diseases
IodineIodine deficiency: goiter, hypothyroidismIodine toxicity (goiter, hypothyroidism)
VitaminVitamin A deficiency: Xerophthalmia and night blindness, low testosteroneHypervitaminosis (liver cirrhosis, hair loss)
Vitamin B 1Take it
Vitamin B 2Ariboflavinose: skin cracking and corneal ulcers
Vitamin B 3PellagraDyspepsia, arrhythmia, birth defects
Vitamin B 12Pernicious anemia
Vitamin CScurvyDiarrhea, causes dehydration
Vitamin DRicketsHypervitaminosis D (dehydration, vomiting, constipation)
Vitamin ENervous disordersHypervitaminosis E (anticoagulant: excessive bleeding)
Vitamin KVitamin deficiency: Bleeding
CalciumOsteoporosis, tetany, carpopedal spasm, laryngospasm, cardiac arrhythmiaFatigue, depression, confusion, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, constipation, pancreatitis, increased urination
MagnesiumMagnesium deficiency: HypertensionWeakness, nausea, vomiting, respiratory distress, hypotension
PotassiumHypokalemia, arrhythmiaHyperkalemia, rapid heart rate
BorBoron deficiency
ManganeseManganese deficiency

What are the dangers of fasting?

Teenagers and people with chronic diseases may develop other diseases, since constant hunger causes digestion failure; also, girls in adolescence should not use such a diet so as not to disrupt hormonal levels, otherwise they can get additional female diseases. The main danger is that the body spends proteins, and after leaving the diet, these proteins are immediately replaced by adipose tissue, so it turns out that much more excess fat is added than before you started losing weight.

Our body is programmed in such a way that if we periodically go on hunger strikes, it will not be able to normally perceive a constant influx of food. The body remembers the information that “dark” days can come at any time, for this reason it stores a large amount of excess fat in order to use this reserve in difficult times. Thus, it turns out that after each strict diet, the body tries to gain as many kilograms as possible in order to later use them up during the diet.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of malnutrition include the following:

  • lack of appetite or interest in food or drink
  • fatigue and irritability
  • inability to concentrate
  • it's always cold
  • loss of fat, muscle mass and body tissue
  • increased risk of getting sick and healing longer.
  • longer wound healing time.
  • increased risk of complications after surgery
  • deepening
  • decreased sexual desire and fertility problems

In more severe cases:

  • labored breathing
  • the skin may become thin, dry, inelastic, pale and cold.
  • the cheeks seem hollow and the eyes are sunken, as fat disappears from the face.
  • hair becomes dry and sparse and falls out easily.

Eventually, respiratory arrest and heart failure may occur, and the person may become unresponsive. General starvation can be fatal within 8-12 weeks.

Children may be stunted and tired and irritable. Behavioral and intellectual development may be slow, which can lead to learning difficulties.

Even with treatment, there may be long-term effects on mental function and digestive problems may persist. In some cases they can be lifelong.

Adults with severe malnutrition that began in adulthood usually make a full recovery with treatment.

The dangers of fasting

The harm of fasting may not be felt in the first few days of restrictions, since many symptoms can be attributed to lack of food, but lack of food can lead to very disastrous results. Many girls are perplexed when, after starvation, the kilograms return, and even in greater quantities. If we consider the population of the United States, there are a lot of overweight people who have become victims of poor nutrition, as well as constant dieting. But France and Japan differ in that in these countries people are more committed to proper nutrition and their native cuisine, for this reason problems with obesity are not so common there.

Harm is also observed in the restructuring of the body, many notice that their breath begins to smell unpleasant, women consider this to be toxins that leave the body, but in fact, an unpleasant odor may indicate disturbances in the functioning of the stomach and intestines.

The effects of fasting, leading to unpleasant results, are already familiar to many young ladies in our country, since girls under thirty are overweight in almost forty percent of cases. Unfortunately, a hunger strike will not help cleanse the body of everything unnecessary, but it can bring many health problems that did not exist before.

A little about the problem

The consequences of hunger can be dire. Often, young girls, in pursuit of an ideal figure, begin to starve, without noticing how they develop anorexia. Many of them have to be hospitalized with terrible diagnoses and disruptions in the functioning of many internal organs and systems.

Therefore, many nutritionists dissuade their patients from such radical methods of getting rid of extra pounds. But short-term fasting is allowed.

For example, you can fast for one day every week in order to cleanse the body of toxins and excess fluid. Fasting for a period of several days is also allowed. During this time, you can lose excess weight, increase the body's defenses, and normalize the functionality of the digestive system.

Undoubtedly, hunger helps to lose weight, because when no food enters the body, it begins to extract energy from fat deposits. But after the feeling of hunger is eliminated, severe weakness appears, since the body does not receive, along with food, the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are necessary for its normal functioning.

Some believe that fasting can cure cancer if medications do not produce positive results. Before understanding all these issues, you need to familiarize the EU in more detail with what consequences of starvation may arise.

Anorexia as a consequence of hunger strikes


There have been cases when women were overly carried away by refusing food, trying to lose as much excess weight as possible, in this case the lady developed anorexia. This disease is considered psychophysical, for this reason the help of not only a doctor, but also a psychologist is necessary.

This disease manifests itself when hunger strikes are carried out frequently, then the body simply ceases to feel the feeling of hunger, and body weight rapidly decreases; this disease is increasingly found among professional fashion models.

Anorexia can manifest itself against the background of starvation, as well as frequent stress, in some cases the disease ends in death.

Most likely, many women still know that a complete refusal of food can cause a lot of harm to a healthy body, but they do not pay attention to it. But hunger can be safe if only carried out under the strict supervision of a doctor and with careful preparation of the body. Proper preparation will play a very big role in refusing food.

diagnosing

Prompt diagnosis and treatment can prevent the development and complications associated with malnutrition.

There are several ways to identify adults who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, such as the Universal Malnutrition Screening Tool (USIT).

CAPABILITY was developed to identify adults, and especially older people, who are malnourished or at high risk of malnutrition.

This is a 5-step plan that can help healthcare professionals diagnose and treat these conditions.

Here are the steps:

  • Step 1: Measure your height and weight, calculate your body mass index (BMI), and calculate your score.
  • Step 2: Record the percentage of unplanned weight loss and provide a score. For example, an unplanned weight loss of 5 to 10 percent would score 1 point, and a weight loss of 10 percent or more would score 2 points.
  • Step 3: Identify any mental or physical condition and evaluate it. For example, if a person is seriously ill and has not eaten for more than 5 days, the score will be 3.
  • Step 4: Add the scores obtained from steps 1, 2 and 3 to obtain an overall risk score.
  • Step 5: Use local guidelines to develop a health care plan.

If a person is at low risk of malnutrition, their total score will be 0. A score of 1 indicates moderate risk, and a score of 2 or more indicates high risk.

SHOULD be used only to identify malnutrition or risk of malnutrition in adults. It will not identify specific nutritional imbalances or deficiencies.

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