All three elements are known to contribute to wellness. Fasting grants respite to the digestive system. The energy saved from not having to digest heavy meals will be used by the body and mind to heal themselves.
Meanwhile, lemon has plenty of vitamin C. High levels of the vitamin in the blood are associated with lower body mass, reduced bad cholesterol, and prevention of coronary heart disease.
Finally, honey contains a lot of antioxidants, enough to match some fruits and vegetables. It is great at getting rid of lipids in both healthy and hyperlipidemic people.
Their combination, lemon honey juice fasting, is prescribed by naturopaths for diseases such as hypertriglyceridemia and obesity. The scientific literature on the physiological effects of this treatment is sparse, though. (Related: A comprehensive analysis of the medicinal benefits of water-only fasting.)
An enlightening study on lemon honey juice fasting was conducted by researchers from Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana University (SVYASU). It covered the physiological effects of this restricted diet on adults in good health.
The participants consisted of 50 young volunteers, 32 of whom were women. Forty-four of them completed the experiment. The dropouts mostly cited to personal reasons with only one reporting abdominal pain.
Before the start of the experiment, the physiology of each participant was evaluated. Their body weight was recorded, and their biochemistry was also analyzed using several techniques.
Each participant was given 300 milligrams of lemon honey juice four times per day. They were allowed to drink water, but nothing else.
The intervention period took up four days. During that time, the volunteers avoided daily routine and serious physical activity to focus their minds and bodies on the purifying fast.
At the end of the intervention, the physiology of the participants was once more evaluated for any changes caused by the lemon honey juice fasting. They broke the fast on the fifth day and reported no serious side effects from the short-term fast.
The results showed that the participants experienced a sizable reduction of weight, body mass index (BMI), fat mass, free fat mass, muscle mass, total body water, and total serum triglycerides at the end of the intervention. There were also some reductions in fat percentage and total serum cholesterol, although nowhere as significant as the others.
With regards to the sub-groups, the female-only sub-group displayed changes in more physiological markers. They lost weight and experienced lower BMI, fat mass, free fat mass, muscle mass, total body water, and total serum triglycerides.
In the male sub-group, the reductions were limited to just weight, BMI, free fat mass, and muscle mass. Based on these results, the intervention appears to be more effective for women.
In both sub-groups, the reduction in weight was attributed to the lemon honey juice. The vitamin C in the mixture is associated with weight loss. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that prevents cellular and tissue damage caused by lipid-related oxidative stress.
The SVYASU researchers concluded that lemon honey juice fasting for short periods could be considered a safe and effective means of reducing body weight and improving physiology. Fasting could potentially protect against hypertriglyceridemia and obesity, both of which lead to more serious diseases.
If you want to read more articles about improving your health through fasting, check out Naturopathy.news.
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