Fasting For The Right Reasons

Fasting may bring you closer to God, but it is not an effective way to lose weight, experts say.

With millions of Christians throughout the world preparing to fast tomorrow on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, several nutrition experts are weighing in with advice about the ancient practice of fasting.

Brief fasts for religious reasons and those associated with medical procedures, such as blood tests and colonoscopy, are generally considered safe, experts say.

Fasting, though, is not considered an effective weight-loss method. It’s almost always counterproductive and, in some cases, downright dangerous.

Brief fasts for religious or medical reasons are generally safe. "But if you have other medical conditions such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, or if you're pregnant or lactating, there's no religion that I know of that permits you to fast if your health is jeopardized," says Arthur Frank, director of the George Washington University Weight Loss Center.

Posted by Jim Langcuster at February 24, 2004 09:12 AM | TrackBack