Frizareihan / Pixabay – Fasting increases you human growth hormone levels.

Increased human growth hormone levels increase your longevity. Fasting (not eating food) increases (HGH) levels. Fasting is a great way to raise HGH levels because it is free. Test results from fasting for one day (24 hours) have shown that HGH levels can increase up to 2000 percent. HGH levels are not linear – they rise and fall through the fasting process. When does an actual a fast begin? Is it immediately following a meal, or is it after we have digested the foods we ate?

Our bodies are benefiting from the foods we eat for several hours afterward. It takes six to eight hours to process the foods we eat. Therefore, start your fast eight hours after your last meal. If your last meal was at six p.m., then the start of your fast would be two a.m. At two p.m. you would have fasted twelve hours.

In 12 hours, immediate benefits can be seen – nearly a 1000 percent increase in HGH levels. That is why intermittent fasting is of immense value to counter the effects of aging. Fasting also has been shown to increase the growth rate of brain cells and neurons. It improves our cognitive skills, decreases cardiovascular risk, and has many other health benefits.

PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay – Fasting helps to lose weight and inches.

There is also another change in our bodies during extended fasting. Normally insulin regulates glucose metabolism for energy. During fasting, HGH takes over that function. As you fast, you are changing your body’s fuel source from glycogen (glucose stored in our muscles) to fat. Fat is broken down and releases free fatty acids and glycerol which are then metabolized to produce energy. Burning fat for energy means you are losing fat and inches. If you are under a doctor’s care, please consult your physician before starting a fast.