What is water fasting? Pros and Cons of this diet plan for weight loss

Weight loss is one of the most discussed topics. Several diets have gained popularity in the past years for their weight loss benefits. Many of these diets focus on a particular nutrient, food or drink.

Here’s another weight loss diet that you must know. It is the water fasting diet. Water is an essential part of everyone’s diet. It is advised to consume enough water throughout the day.

Optimum water consumption is linked with proper functioning of the human body. It keeps you hydrated, helps in flushing toxins from the body, supports the functioning of various body organs and much more.

Water fasting involves consumption of nothing but just water for a limited time period. It is a type of fast that restricts everything except water.

It has become more popular in recent years as a quick way to lose weight. It is usually advised to fast for 24-72 hours. Fasting for a period longer than this needs medical supervision.

Pros and cons of following the water fasting diet. Let’s find out some insight on this weight loss diet.

Benefits of water fasting
1. Evidence suggests that fasting, during which only water is consumed, results in potential health benefits and physiological effects.

2. Following this diet may improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels. The effect on blood pressure may be a little less and there is requirement of further studies to elaborate this relation.

3. Water fasting may promote autophagy which is a process in which old parts of your cells are broken down and recycled. It may help to prevent cancer cell growth.

4. Drinking enough water is also linked with better functioning of body organs and may prevent the risk of several diseases.

Health risks linked with water fasting
1. It is not the healthiest way to lose weight. You may lose muscle mass too. Consumption of just water will not provide all necessary nutrients.

2. Many don’t know that not just water, the food you consume also contributes to the water you consume in a day. So, drinking just water may also leave you dehydrated, resulting in dizziness, headaches, nausea, constipation, low blood pressure and low productivity. To avoid dehydration, you may need to drink more than usual.

3. It may also result in a sudden drop in blood pressure called orthostatic hypertension. Some conditions may aggravate due to long term fasting like a sudden fall in blood sugar levels.

If you want the health benefits of water fasting, always follow this diet with medical supervision. Try safer methods to lose weight. For healthy weight loss, you need to burn more calories than you consume. This balance can be achieved with a well-balanced diet and regular exercise.