MANILA — Student Tony Lolos tried to do fasting and prayer by only drinking water and eating fruits as a way to practice his religious beliefs as a Catholic.

This is a huge sacrifice for him, he told ABS-CBN News, since he loves rice and can eat up to 12 cups of the white grain in restaurants that offer unlimited rice.

But 3 days into fasting, his body showed signs that he could have been doing it the wrong way.

"Iyong katawan ko sobrang bumigay siya. Sobrang grabeng sakit ng ulo. Parang hindi kinaya ng tiyan ko... Hindi po ako makagalaw, nakahiga lang ako," Lolos said.

(My body gave up. I had a debilitating headache. It's like my stomach can't take it... I couldn't move, I was just lying in bed.)

For Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo, fasting could also mean selecting what, when, and how much food to consume, which could be beneficial for health.

For example, he said, a person could just opt for vegetables or fish and avoid eating meat from other animal sources.

"Kung dati ay nasanay na kunwari mga two cups of rice per meal tapos nag-decide tayo mag-fast na one cup of rice per day lang, so at least for one or two days in a particular Holy Week or Ramadan season, mababawasan tayo ng calories," he added.

(If for example we eat two cups of rice per meal, we can decide to fast and eat just one cup per day. So at least for one or two days in a particular Holy Week or Ramadan season, we can cut down on calories.)

Roman Catholics practice some form of abstinence — commonly avoiding meat — during Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays of Lent.

For Muslims, fasting involves abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations during the whole month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset.

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Domingo cautioned people who are attempting to practice fasting, especially those who have pre-existing conditions such as diabetes.

"Baka tayo ay may sakit, especially for those of us who have conditions na sinabi ng ating doktor na you have to follow particular eating patterns," he said "Ang ating mga pasyente na diabetic, typically, hindi iyan basta-basta nagfa-fast kasi at risk sila of both hypo--or mababa na sugar, hypoglycemia--or pwede rin silang mag-hyper glycemia. Kasi iyong fasting, kapag ikaw ay nag-fast, typically magugutom ka."

"Tapos pag nag-break iyong fast sa ating mga kapatid na Muslim or sa ating mga Katoliko, Kristiyano, kapag tayo ay off na iyong fasting, kakain tayo, may tendency na okay na kumain. Nagkakaroon iyan ng mga surges, ng mga spikes sa sugar sa ating blood. It really depends on what your particular condition is if you are allowed to do fasting," he added.

(If we have medical conditions, our doctor might advise us to follow particular eating patterns. Patients with diabetes typically cannot fast haphazardly because they are at risk of both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.  When we are off fasting, we have a tendency to eat and experience spikes of sugar in our blood.)

Domingo, who is also a doctor, advised people who want to try fasting to consult first with a doctor.

"But if you are fairly, physically healthy, physically fit, wala ka namang conditions, hindi ka umiinom ng maintenance medications, then it is a personal choice. It becomes a choice of faith," he said.

(If you are physically fit, you have no medical conditions, you don't take maintenance medications, then it is a personal choice.)

IS INTERMITTENT FASTING BENEFICIAL?

Another variant of fasting is intermittent fasting or IF, which has become popular among those who want to lose weight.

Johns Hopkins Medicine defines intermittent fasting (IF) as "an eating plan that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule."

A study — which has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal — on 200,000 people released by the American Heart Association this March showed that those "who followed an 8-hour time-restricted eating schedule" were 91 percent at higher risk to die from a cardiovascular disease.

The study also found that time-restricted eating did not reduce the overall risk of death from any cause.

According to Domingo, this regimen appears to work for some.

"Kaya siya sinasabing nagiging effective kasi iyong ating eating window, nagkakaroon tayo ng natural period na umiiwas tayo sa calories at nagiging disiplina siya. So para sa mga ibang tao--kasama na ako siguro doon--mas madali sa amin iyong mga structured na may mga panahon na kakain ako at may mga panahon na hindi ako kakain. Kesa iyong sabihin ko na babawasan ko iyong dami ng kinakain ko," he said.

(It's said to be effective because during our eating window, we tend to have a natural period where we avoid calories. For some people, myself included, it's easier for us to have a structured window to eat and to refrain from eating, compared to decreasing our food intake.)

Still, he believes studies are not yet extensive to conclude the health benefits of IF.

"May preliminary studies tayo na nagsasabing, 'Yes it works.' But as to the health benefits, we have to look at it. Siguro sumatotal, kaya siya nakakatulong--again back to the calories in, calories out - kapag nako-control natin iyong bilang ng calories na kinakain natin, nakakatulong ito umiwas sa overweight and obese, na alam natin ay nagiging sanhi ng non-communicable diseases later on," he said.

(There are preliminary studies saying, 'Yes, it works. Overall, it helps control the calories we consume. It also helps us avoid becoming overweight and obese, which can cause non-communicable diseases later on.) 

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Other factors to be considered in assessing the studies include the sample size, the country, diet, and body type of participants, he said.

Domingo explained IF could be "bad" if one has medical conditions, as he shared more tips to determine if the said diet would be helpful or detrimental to one's health.

"Ang diet na okay para sa isang tao, hindi siya automatically okay para sa ibang tao. Importante na alam natin iyong sitwasyon natin. Sa usapang diet nga, 'di ba calories in, calories out. Ano ba iyong available sa atin na pagkain? Ano iyong usual schedule natin? Kung anuman iyong pinaka-sustainable, pinaka-kaya nating gawin nang pangmatagalan, mapa-IF man iyan, mapa-portion control--meaning, tingnan mo na lang kung gaano karaming kanin, or gaano karaming karne, gaano karaming gulay kinakain mo," he said.

(The diet of person is not automatically okay for someone else. It is important that we know our situation. On the topic of calories in, calories out, we should consider the food available to us, our schedule, what is the most sustainable habit.)

He added that there are other foods or drinks one can reduce — but these should always be consulted with a doctor or a dietitian.

"Baka naman kailangan sigurong gawin iwasan natin uminom ng softdrinks. Kasi iyong softdrinks maraming asukal iyan. So maraming mga paraan para gumawa ng diet na angkop sa atin. Hindi lang basta-basta intermittent fasting," Domingo said.

(Perhaps we can avoid soft drinks, which contain a lot of sugar. There are many ways to adopt a diet appropriate for us, not just IF.)

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