Macro partitioning
A 21-day Daniel Fast, characterized by the consumption of plant-based foods while excluding animal products, refined carbohydrates, and additives, significantly improves cardiovascular risk markers including blood pressure, total cholesterol, and LDL-C, and reduces biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation.
To try a Daniel Fast, eat only whole plant foods (fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds) and water for 21 days. Avoid all meat, dairy, refined sugars, white flour, additives, caffeine, and alcohol. You can eat as much as you want of the allowed foods. This approach has been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol significantly.
We noted excellent compliance to the fast... The following variables related to cardiovascular disease risk were significantly lower following the fast as compared to before the fast: total cholesterol, LDL-C, SBP, and DBP... a significant increase was noted in Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity and nitrate/nitrite... while a significant decrease was noted in MDA
Why this rating
Based on a single preliminary study with excellent compliance but lacking a control group and statistical significance for some metabolic markers (insulin, HOMA-IR).
Source
The impact of religious fasting on human health
John F. Trepanowski et al. · Nutrition Journal · 2010
DOI 10.1186/1475-2891-9-57
More from this paper
- Greek Orthodox Christian fasting periods, which function as variants of vegetarianism involving abstention from animal products and olive oil, are associated with decreased body mass, total cholesterol, and LDL-C levels.Moderate
- Islamic Ramadan fasting results in heterogeneous health outcomes, with no consensus on changes to body mass index, blood lipids, or blood pressure, largely due to confounding variables like dietary choices, smoking cessation, and fasting duration.Limited
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →