Fasting is more than just a weight-loss tool, it’s a powerful healing mechanism that activates deep cellular repair, balances hormones, boosts brain function, and even strengthens the immune system.
How Fasting Works: The Metabolic Switch
Your body has two fuel systems: sugar (glucose) and fat (ketones). When you eat, your body primarily runs on glucose. However, when you stop eating, blood sugar levels decrease, and your body switches to its alternative fuel source—ketones. This process, known as metabolic switching, is where fasting’s benefits truly begin.
Did you know the New England Journal of Medicine recommends intermittent fasting as the first-line treatment for obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative conditions, cancer, and even pre- and post-surgery healing. The reason? Fasting triggers biological processes that optimize health at a cellular level.
What Happens When We Flip the Metabolic Switch?
1. Increased Ketones – Provide an alternative energy source when glucose isn’t available.
- Neuroprotective: Repairs nervous tissue and regenerates neurons.
- Memory and Cognitive Boost: Improves brain function and memory retention.
- Mitochondrial Healing: Preferred fuel source for mitochondria, making energy production more efficient.
- Calming Effects: Increases GABA, a neurotransmitter that reduces anxiety.
2. Increased Autophagy – The body’s self-cleaning process.
- Cells sense dipping blood sugar and shift into repair mode.
- Detoxifies and removes damaged or diseased cells.
- Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi won a Nobel Prize for research on how fasting strengthens cells.
- Triggers mitophagy—the repair and regeneration of damaged mitochondria.
3. Decreased Glycogen and Insulin – Burns stored sugar for energy.
- If you’ve been eating a high-sugar diet, fasting helps clear out stored glycogen from muscles, the liver, and fat cells.
- Lower insulin levels improve metabolic flexibility and reduce diabetes risk.
4. Increased Growth Hormone Production – Essential for muscle repair and fat metabolism.
- Growth hormone peaks during puberty and declines around age 30.
- Fasting can increase growth hormone production fivefold—enhancing fat burning, muscle growth, and brain health.
5. Dopamine Reset – Helps rebalance brain chemistry.
- Long-term fasting (48+ hours) reboots dopamine pathways, reducing dependence on food, sugar, and external stimulants.
6. Immune System Repair – Regenerates white blood cells.
- Dr. Valter Longo’s research found that after a 72-hour water fast, old, worn-out white blood cells die off, making room for new, energized immune cells.
- Reduces inflammation markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) and improves immunity.
7. Gut Microbiome Reset – Restores gut health.
- Your body houses 4,000+ species of microbes, 90% of which live in the gut.
- Fasting reduces harmful bacteria, restores microbial diversity, and repairs the gut lining.
- Helps with antibiotic overuse, birth control side effects, and gut disorders like SIBO.
8. Cancer Prevention – Lowers cancer recurrence risk.
- The Journal of the American Medical Association found that women who fasted 13+ hours per night had a 64% lower risk of breast cancer recurrence.
- Lowers hemoglobin A1c (blood sugar levels) and CRP (inflammation marker)—key factors in cancer growth.
9. Mitochondrial Regeneration
- Fasting triggers mitophagy, repairing and strengthening mitochondria.
- Healthy mitochondria produce more energy and detoxify the body more efficiently.
- Ketones boost glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant that reduces oxidative stress, supports insulin sensitivity, and improves brain function.
10. Brain Repair
- Neurons get damaged by poor diet, toxins, and lack of stimulation.
- Fasting regenerates neurons, improving cognitive function, memory, and mental clarity.
Fasting-Friendly Supplements
To support your fasting journey, Ambaya Gold offers high-quality, fasting-friendly supplements designed to enhance cellular health, hydration, and detoxification. Fulvic Green is our gentle digestive detox that may assists with healthy weight management and increase energy and physical performance. The Essence of Life is formulated to achieve balance and homeostasis in the body and mind by restoring commonly deficient minerals, nutrients, and elements. Oxygen+ supports cellular oxygenation—perfect for sustaining your body while fasting. Explore our full selection at Ambaya Gold to maximize your fasting benefits!
If you're interested in learning more: in her book, Fast Like a Girl, Dr. Mindy Pelz’s provides a science-backed guide to using fasting for optimal health, particularly for women. By incorporating different fasting protocols and balancing them with proper nourishment, fasting can become a lifelong strategy for health, longevity, and disease prevention.
