The immune system protects the body from pathogens that cause sickness but how the system works remains a mystery. A group of USC researchers found that it's possible to regenerate the entire immune system in just 72 hours by fasting.
This is great news for those who have weak immune systems. According to professor Valter Longo, Professor of Gerontology and the Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California, a person's immune system recycles unused or excess immune cells by fasting. Fasting regularly may rejuvenate weak immune systems.
Three Days to a Whole New Immune System
According to researchers at the University of Southern California, the act of fasting for as little as three days can regenerate the entire immune system, even in elderly people.
The researchers said that fasting helps the body’s stem cells to begin producing new white blood cells, which help to fight off infection.
They added that the discovery could be especially effective for people suffering from damaged immune systems, including chemotherapy patients, who were protected from the toxic impacts of the treatment during the fasting period (note: we personally don’t recommend chemotherapy; consult a holistic doctor for more information).
Flipping a “Regenerative Switch”
As the researchers noted, the act of fasting for as little as three days can regenerate the entire immune system, even in elderly people.
“Fasting gives the ‘OK’ for stem cells to go ahead and begin proliferating and rebuild the entire system,” Prof. Valter Longo, Professor of Gerontology and the Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California, told the UK’s The Telegraph.
He added that the body actually removed parts that were damaged, old or inefficient during the fasting process, creating “literally, a new immune system.”
Image courtesy of: Healthnewsnet
