Is Water Fasting Safe?

What is water fasting? 

There are many types of fasting that are practised for a wide variety of health, religious and dietary reasons. Fasting in general means restricting what food your body is taking in and it’s been practised throughout many cultures and countries over the past few thousand years. 

Water fasting is essentially restricting everything except water for around 24 hours – anything more than this requires medical supervision. 

What are the health benefits of water fasting? 

Many people will follow temporary water fasting for religious and spiritual reasons, but many for its believed health benefits such as detoxifying the body, weight loss or preparing the body for surgery or another medical procedure. 

Are there any risks?

Many people experience a lack of energy, dizziness and weakness and it’s advised that you don’t drive or operate heavy machinery during a water fast. 

It’s easy to become dehydrated as around 30% of our daily water intake comes from the foods we eat, so it’s important to drink enough water.

Water fasting is thought to worsen some medical conditions like diabetes and eating disorders. Fasting past 72 hours is linked to some severe health risks.

Is water fasting safe? 

If followed carefully and for no more than 72 hours, then water fasting can be considered safe. However, if the aim is weight loss, then there are safer options to explore first like intermittent fasting.

If you’d like some tips on how to fast safely, then check out this guide from Healthline next!