{"id":2026102417,"date":"2026-10-30T11:22:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T04:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danieel.id\/?p=2026102417"},"modified":"2026-10-30T12:32:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T05:32:28","slug":"health-benefits-of-fasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danieel.id\/en\/health-benefits-of-fasting\/","title":{"rendered":"Health Benefits of Fasting: Ramadan, IF, and Autophagy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

One of the best “repair crews” in our body turns out to work hardest precisely when the stomach is empty. The way it works is so important that explaining it earned the 2016 Nobel Prize in Medicine<\/a>. The irony? Those of us who want to be healthy often keep the body’s “kitchen” open from the moment we wake up until midnight (and yes, snacks while watching football still count).<\/p>\n

So what exactly are the health benefits of fasting, and do Ramadan fasting, Monday-Thursday fasting, intermittent fasting, and calorie-restricted diets all deliver the same results? The short answer: similar, but not identical.<\/p>\n

In humans, the most consistent health benefits of fasting are a drop in body weight and body fat, better insulin sensitivity, and improvements in several heart risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol. Most of these benefits appear because total energy intake goes down too, while claims about autophagy and longevity still rely heavily on animal research.<\/p>\n

Imagine a warung<\/em>, a small Indonesian eatery, that stays open 24 hours a day without a break: the stove never cools down and dirty dishes keep piling up. A warung that closes for a few hours a day actually gets time to wash up, tidy the place, and throw out spoiled ingredients. Our body works in much the same way.<\/p>\n

What Happens in the Body When We Fast?<\/h2>\n
\"The<\/figure>\n

When we fast, the body first uses up glucose and the glycogen stored in the liver, then gradually switches to burning fat and producing ketones as a backup fuel. Researchers call this metabolic switching<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In a review by de Cabo and Mattson (2019) in the New England Journal of Medicine<\/a>, this switch is thought to trigger cellular responses that make cells more resistant to stress and more diligent about repairing damaged components. Mark Mattson, a Johns Hopkins neuroscientist, argues that our ancestors “did not eat three meals a day plus snacks,” as quoted by Gulf News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a rough picture, a Ramadan fast in Indonesia runs from the dawn (Subuh) prayer at around 4:30 a.m. to sunset (Maghrib) at around 6:00 p.m. That means 13\u201314 hours without food or drink, long enough to nudge the body into starting to use fat.<\/p>\n

Ramadan Fasting: A Month of Metabolic Training Every Year<\/h2>\n
\"A<\/figure>\n

On average, Ramadan fasting leads to a modest drop in body weight and body fat, especially in people who are overweight, but the results tend to return within a few weeks after Eid al-Fitr (known in Indonesia as Lebaran).<\/p>\n

The purpose of Ramadan fasting is stated clearly: “that you may become righteous” (QS. Al-Baqarah 2:183), and the next verse closes with “But to fast is best for you, if you only knew” (QS. Al-Baqarah 2:184).<\/p>\n

A meta-analysis by Fernando et al. (2019) in the journal Nutrients<\/a> pooled 70 publications with 2,947 healthy adult participants. Body weight fell by an average of 1.34 kg during Ramadan, fat mass dropped by about 0.98 kg, and fat-free mass (including muscle and water) by about 0.66 kg. Yet 2\u20135 weeks after Ramadan, the numbers drifted back toward where they started.<\/p>\n

The reason shows up in a meta-analysis by Abdelrahim et al. in Nutrition Reviews<\/a> covering 85 studies from 22 countries: energy intake during Ramadan fell by only about 142 kcal per day on average, roughly one banana fritter. Mealtimes shift, but the amount eaten doesn’t change much, especially when fried snacks, kolak<\/em> (a sweet coconut-milk dessert), and iced fruit drinks line up neatly on the table at iftar. Because Ramadan fasting also means no drinking, make sure to get enough water between iftar and the pre-dawn meal (sahur<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Monday-Thursday Fasting and the Fast of David: Sunnah Practices That Resemble Modern Diets<\/h2>\n
\"A<\/figure>\n

Monday-Thursday fasting and the fast of Prophet David (Dawud) follow patterns similar to two modern forms of intermittent fasting: fasting two days a week (the 5:2 pattern) and fasting every other day (alternate-day fasting<\/em>).<\/p>\n

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Deeds are presented on Monday and Thursday, and I love that my deeds be presented while I am fasting” (HR. Tirmidhi). About the fast of David, he called it the fast most beloved to Allah, describing how David “used to fast on alternate days” (HR. Bukhari and Muslim). The main intention, of course, is worship; health benefits are a bonus, not a promise. Interestingly, fasting every Monday and Thursday adds up to about 104 fasting days a year.<\/p>\n

The 5:2 pattern was tested by Harvie et al. (2011) in the International Journal of Obesity<\/a> on 107 overweight women over six months. The group that ate about 650 kcal on two days a week lost 6.4 kg, while the daily-diet group lost 5.6 kg, with a slightly greater improvement in insulin resistance on the two-day pattern.<\/p>\n

The alternate-day pattern was tested by Trepanowski et al. (2017) in JAMA Internal Medicine<\/a> on 100 adults with obesity over one year. Body weight fell by 6.0% versus 5.3% on the daily diet, but 38% of the alternate-day participants dropped out. Krista Varady, the lead researcher, still called this pattern “another tool in our arsenal,” as quoted by Lab Manager<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Worth noting: sunnah fasts involve no food or drink at all from dawn to sunset, which differs from the patterns in those studies. There are no large clinical trials specifically on Monday-Thursday fasting yet, so the 5:2 studies serve only as a comparison, not direct evidence.<\/p>\n

Intermittent Fasting: Does Meal Timing or Meal Size Matter More?<\/h2>\n
\"An<\/figure>\n

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that governs when we eat, for example by limiting meals to a 6\u20138 hour window each day (time-restricted eating<\/em>), and its effect on body weight comes largely from the calories that drop along the way.<\/p>\n

Meal timing still seems to matter. In a study by Sutton et al. (2018) in Cell Metabolism<\/a>, eight men with prediabetes ate within a six-hour window that ended before 3:00 p.m. for five weeks. Their weight was kept stable, yet their insulin sensitivity and blood pressure improved, though eight people are obviously too few to treat as a general rule.<\/p>\n

For weight, Liu et al. (2022) in the New England Journal of Medicine<\/a> compared 139 people with obesity who all restricted calories for 12 months; one group ate only between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Weight fell by 8.0 kg versus 6.3 kg, and that gap was not statistically significant. Total calories remained the main player.<\/p>\n

For beginners, Mattson warns that “feeling hungry and irritable is common initially,” as reported by Neuroscience News<\/a>, and it usually eases within two weeks to a month (in Indonesia, we know it as the “short-fuse” phase just before Maghrib). The gentlest way to start is to eat dinner earlier, as in my tips for losing 10 kg (22 lbs) in 6 months<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Calorie Restriction: The Key Behind Many of Fasting’s Benefits<\/h2>\n
\"Two<\/figure>\n

Calorie restriction means moderately cutting daily energy intake without becoming malnourished, and the CALERIE clinical trial showed that it improves many heart and metabolic risk factors.<\/p>\n

Kraus et al. (2019) in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology<\/a> reported a randomized trial of 218 healthy adults without obesity over two years. On average, participants managed to cut only about 12% of their calories, roughly 300 kcal a day, or about a plate of white rice plus a vegetable fritter. As a result, body weight fell by about 10%, and LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation markers, and insulin sensitivity all improved. William Kraus admitted there is “some mechanism we don’t yet understand” behind those improvements, as quoted by Duke Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Older people in Okinawa practice a similar principle through hara hachi bu<\/em>, stopping eating when the stomach feels about 80 percent full, as described in the Blue Zones lessons for healthier aging<\/a>. Because weight loss always takes some fat-free mass with it, get enough protein and consider strength training after 30<\/a> so that what you lose is mostly fat.<\/p>\n

Autophagy: How Cells “Clean House” While We Fast<\/h2>\n
\"A<\/figure>\n

Autophagy is a natural process in which a cell breaks down its damaged or unused components and recycles them into energy and new building blocks; the process becomes more active when the cell is short of nutrients.<\/p>\n

The term comes from the Greek auto<\/em> (self) and phagein<\/em> (to eat), so it means “self-eating.” Sounds creepy, but what gets eaten is only cellular “trash,” as we touched on in the 18 tips for a healthy and fit life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Discovery That Won the Nobel Prize<\/h3>\n

The mechanism of autophagy was explained in detail by Yoshinori Ohsumi, a Japanese cell biologist who received the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his experiments on baker’s yeast in the early 1990s. According to the Nobel Committee’s press release<\/a>, “starved” yeast filled up with autophagy vesicles within hours. Ohsumi then identified 15 genes essential to the process and showed that similar machinery operates in human cells. Disrupted autophagy has been linked to Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.<\/p>\n

Juleen Zierath, a member of the Nobel Committee, called this system “a renewal station,” as reported by the Associated Press<\/a>. Ohsumi himself stayed humble: “Even now we have more questions than when I started,” as quoted by Science News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Does Fasting Trigger Autophagy in Humans?<\/h3>\n

Fasting and calorie restriction are considered the strongest non-genetic triggers of autophagy, but direct evidence in humans is still limited because autophagy is hard to measure in living body tissue.<\/p>\n

A review by Bagherniya et al. (2018) in Ageing Research Reviews<\/a> concluded that food deprivation triggers autophagy in a wide range of tissues and organs. A study by Alirezaei et al. (2010) in the journal Autophagy<\/a> found a surge of autophagy in mouse nerve cells after 24 and 48 hours without food. However, mice have a much faster metabolism than humans, so popular figures such as “autophagy starts after 16 hours” are best treated as estimates, not an alarm clock.<\/p>\n

Subhanallah, inside every cell there is a recycling system working without us noticing. Of course, the wisdom of fasting should not be narrowed down to cellular matters, let alone forced to fit scientific theories that can change. Still, this discovery is enough to leave us in awe of the body Allah has entrusted to us.<\/p>\n

Health Benefits of Fasting in One Table<\/h2>\n
\"Five<\/figure>\n

The health benefits of fasting differ by type, and the differences lie more in the pattern and the strength of the evidence. Here is the summary:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Type of fasting<\/th>\nPattern<\/th>\nKey research findings<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Ramadan fasting<\/td>\nDawn to sunset without food or drink, for a month<\/td>\nWeight drops \u00b11.3 kg, tends to return<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Monday-Thursday (similar to 5:2)<\/td>\nTwo days a week<\/td>\n5:2 pattern on par with daily dieting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fast of David (similar to alternate-day)<\/td>\nFast one day, eat the next<\/td>\nOn par with daily dieting, more dropouts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Time-restricted eating<\/td>\nEating within a 6\u20138 hour window<\/td>\nBetter insulin; weight drops if calories drop<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Calorie restriction<\/td>\nCut about 12\u201325% every day<\/td>\nHeart risk factors improve over 2 years<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

In practical terms, the best choice is the pattern we can stick with consistently, without following it up with “revenge” portions at iftar or dinner.<\/p>\n

Who Should Be Careful Before Fasting?<\/h2>\n
\"A<\/figure>\n

Fasting is not automatically safe for everyone; children and teenagers, pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with diabetes who use insulin or glucose-lowering medication, and people with a history of eating disorders should consult a doctor first.<\/p>\n

This list is in line with guidance from Johns Hopkins Medicine<\/a> and Bastyr University<\/a>. For people with diabetes, the main risk is blood sugar dropping too low; if trembling, cold sweats, or severe dizziness appear, break the fast immediately.<\/p>\n

Islam itself grants a concession to those who are ill or traveling: “Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship” (QS. Al-Baqarah 2:185).<\/p>\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n
\"A<\/figure>\n

What are the most proven health benefits of fasting?<\/span><\/h3>\n

The most proven ones in humans are weight and fat loss, better insulin sensitivity, and improved blood pressure and cholesterol. The benefits are most noticeable when total calories go down too.<\/p>\n

How many hours of fasting does it take to trigger autophagy?<\/span><\/h3>\n

There is no exact number for humans yet. Studies in mice used 24\u201348 hour fasts, while the 16-hour figure popular on social media is only an estimate, so prioritize a fasting pattern that is safe and regular.<\/p>\n

Which is better, intermittent fasting or calorie restriction?<\/span><\/h3>\n

For weight, the results of both are roughly equal when total calories are the same. Pick whichever is easiest for you to live with: managing mealtimes or shrinking portions every day.<\/p>\n

Will I definitely lose weight during Ramadan?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Not necessarily. On average, weight does drop by about 1.3 kg, but it can also go up if the iftar and sahur menus are excessive.<\/p>\n

Closing: The Hunger That Teaches<\/h2>\n
\"A<\/figure>\n

Fasting gives the body a break. The most solid health benefits of fasting are less fat, more responsive insulin, and better blood pressure and cholesterol, and most of them come from the calories that drop along the way. Autophagy promises a lot, but its story in humans is only half written.<\/p>\n

A warung that closes for a few hours a day isn’t losing money; it’s a warung that gets time to tidy up. Just don’t throw a feast the moment it reopens. If you want to experience the health benefits of fasting, pick one thing this week: make the intention to fast on Monday or Thursday, or “close the kitchen” after dinner until breakfast. For a Muslim, fasting is first and foremost an act of worship to attain righteousness (taqwa<\/em>); good health is a bonus worth being grateful for.<\/p>\n

Of all the patterns above, which one is most realistic for you to keep up regularly, and what temptation is the hardest? I’m looking forward to your stories in the comments.<\/p>\n

Happy trying.<\/p>\n

Note: this article is for general education and is not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified health professional.<\/em><\/p>\n

References<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. de Cabo R, Mattson MP. Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease. N Engl J Med<\/em>. 2019;381(26):2541\u20132551. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1056\/NEJMra1905136<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Fernando HA, Zibellini J, Harris RA, Seimon RV, Sainsbury A. Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Weight and Body Composition in Healthy Non-Athlete Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients<\/em>. 2019;11(2):478. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu11020478<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Bagherniya M, Butler AE, Barreto GE, Sahebkar A. The effect of fasting or calorie restriction on autophagy induction: A review of the literature. Ageing Res Rev<\/em>. 2018;47:183\u2013197. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.arr.2018.08.004<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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