There tend to be dramatically opposing views about fasting and its benefits for the body. Fasting is the general abstinence for food or in cases food as well as water for a period of hours or even days. Water fasting refers to giving up all food for a period and consuming only water in that time. There are those who claim that fasting is beneficial because it rids the body of toxins and helps to get rid of excess fat, causing quick weight loss. Many traditional societies have long supported fasting for health or for religious reasons.
However there is also the opposite view that fasting isn’t good for the body; that it slows down the body’s metabolism and may be counterproductive for health and could actually hinder rather than promote weight loss. So, what about water fasting for skin problems? Is fasting good for the skin?
Possible benefits of water fasting for the skin
There is one view that supports water fasting because it supposedly helps to relieve the strain on the body’s organs for a period. There is also the view that fasting helps to remove toxins from the body, helping it heal from within; making it healthier. Naturopathy and holistic healing experts in particular tend to proffer this view.
This view also holds that water fasting is good for the skin because of the same reasons: that it cleanses the skin of impurities and toxins. There is anecdotal evidence to support water fasting for treatment of skin problems such as acne. Water fasting can rid the body of impurities and similarly the skin also improves because of the body being rid of toxins.
The skin will become clearer and the white of the eyes can appear brighter and whiter, it is believed. It is also claimed that scar healing can improve and speed up because of water fasting because it can improve blood circulation. Many have in fact found water fasting to be good for the skin.
What does the research say?
Though the anecdotal evidence is there; and naturopathy experts also recommend water fasting, the clinical evidence is rather thin. No reliable clinical studies have been able to support the benefits of water fasting for the skin so far. There is also the apprehension that long term fasting could be harmful for the body because it could slow down the body’s metabolic rate. This is why, even proponents of water fasting advise that it should not be continued for more than a few days.
