At EcoHotel El Agua we offer two types of fasting, both supervised by our team of highly qualified doctors. Below you can learn more about their remarkable benefits for metabolic, vascular, endocrine and cognitive health.
Intermittent therapeutic fasting
Intermittent fasting consists of distributing the times we eat within a period, or feeding window. By not eating for a set number of hours you lower your metabolic rate and put the body on “pause”, entering a physiological, metabolic and neuroendocrine reset known as autophagy. There are different types of intermittent fasting; the best known are 8/16, 24-hour and 48-hour fasting, though there are others such as 12/12.
- 12/12 — twelve hours of fasting, followed by a twelve-hour feeding window.
- 8/16 — sixteen hours of fasting, followed by an eight-hour feeding window.
- 18/6 — eighteen hours of fasting, followed by a six-hour feeding window.
Fasting is recommended as preventive or curative therapy in these cases
- Overweight, especially around the abdomen
- Hypertension
- Type 2 diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Smoking
- A sedentary lifestyle and stress
- Obesity
- Hyperlipidaemia
- Hyperuricaemia
- Cardiovascular disease and its risk factors
- Chronic inflammatory and degenerative diseases
- States of physical and mental exhaustion
- Prevention and regeneration
Added to these are many other therapeutic indications, increasingly well documented scientifically: joint discomfort, rheumatism, chronic digestive disorders, migraines and other conditions. Some research also suggests that intermittent fasting may be particularly helpful in reducing inflammation and in conditions associated with it, for example:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Multiple sclerosis
- Stroke
The decisive factor for the success of your stay are the days of gradual return to normal food. In this phase dormant stem cells are activated and new structures are created: the regeneration phase, also called “rejuvenation”, which holds enormous therapeutic potential.
What is deep fasting and regenerative autophagy?
There are different periods of deep fasting, according to your needs or your wish to improve your health or prevent disease. Deep fasting means going without food for a minimum of 72 hours and up to 21 days, preferably accompanied only by water and, optionally, by infusions, teas or remineralising green juices. A fasting cure once a year is recommended as a preventive measure.
Benefits of deep fasting and regenerative autophagy
Autophagy is an innate and very efficient process of the body for getting rid of defective parts — misfolded proteins, cellular atypia, DNA alterations, cryptodysmorphisms — which halts tumour processes, regulates metabolic dysfunction (obesity, diabetes, endocrine decline), reduces inflammation (present in all disease processes) and slows the speed of ageing, among many other benefits.
Not all fasts are suitable for everyone. Certain types of fasting are not advised in the following cases:
- Pregnancy
- People with anorexia
- People with diabetes
- Other medical conditions
Important
Before starting any fasting program we recommend that you consult your doctor. Before your arrival we will send you a questionnaire to fill in and return, together with some simple medical tests to be done before the program starts, which we will detail once you complete your registration.
We welcome you to EcoHotel El Agua and to our fasting programs, where you can experience the benefits of a method with proven scientific evidence for regenerative autophagy — the subject of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumi.
