Baba Ramdev Survives Nine Days Without Food

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With all the ‘politics-ism’ and ‘swami-ism’ happening on Indian television, the only thing that caught my attention was the frail looking man dressed in vibrant orange, going headstrong without a morsel.

He did survive (only one trip to medics) the nine days of ‘anna-shann’- absolute fasting.

The nutritionist in me has been restless since than trying to finding answers as to, “what happens to the body and mind when we go without food and water?” I have been wondering whether yoga gurus and saints know the art of going without food for long. Buddhist monks are known to follow fasts as a mandate sfor spiritual awakening. Do they know how to shut down the body’s engine to stop fuel wastage?



My research on fasting got to me collect some very interesting facts on the subject: spiritual, political, physiological. I like to share these interesting reads that I found (while surfing the google guru):



Spiritual aspect of fasting, as seen by a Buddhist:

The Buddha's spiritual awakening is directly related to fasting, but from the reverse. That is to say, only after the Buddha stopped fasting did he realize his mahabodhi, or great awakening. The founding story of the Buddhist faith relates how the Buddha was cultivating the Way in the Himalayas, having left his affluent life as a Prince of India. He sought teachers and investigated a variety of practices in his search for liberation from the suffering of old age, death and rebirth. In the course of his practices he realized that desire was the root of mortality. He determined, incorrectly, that if he stopped eating he could end desire and gain liberation from suffering. As the story goes, he ate only a grain of rice and sesame seed per day. Over time he got so thin that he could touch his spine by pressing on his stomach. He no longer had the strength to meditate. He realized that he would die before he understood his mind; further, that desire does not end by force. At that point a young herds maid offered him a meal of milk porridge which he accepted. He regained his strength, renewed his meditation, and realized Buddhahood. So by quitting fasting, and eating in moderation, he realized the central tenet of Buddhist practice, moderation.



Fasting has a political twist: Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev seem to have triggered a dormant trend initiated by Gandhi during his era.



Absolute fasting is not a new concept in causing a political stir. Mahatma Gandhi employed fasting as a tool in "Satyagraha". In attempt to avoid elements of self and egoism Gandhi developed very clear rules of fasting. According to Bhikhu Parekh, in his book in the Past Masters series, Gandhi’s reasons for fasting was essentially fourfold." It was his way of expressing his own deep sense of sorrow at the way those he loved had disappointed him. It was his way, as their Leader, for atoning for their misdeeds.It was his last attempt to stir deep spiritual feelings in others and to appeal to their moral sense.It was his way of bringing the quarreling parties together."



Physiology of Fasting: Diet wizards claim fasting as the magic wand for detoxification. Infact, many diets (partial fasting) are based on eating less and restraining from certain foods to aid in weight loss.



Several studies indicate that fasting gradually slows down the urge to eat. Maybe, that’s why Baba Ramdev managed 9 days without eating. The hormones responsible for hunger (Leptin) and metabolism (Thyroxine) reduced to a significant level in humans and rodent in a study by Univ of Amsterdam, 2008. To explain in layman language- the urge to eat is reduced as well as calorie expenditure slows down making you feel not-so-hungry.



So, what happens when you quit food? Why couldn’t Baba Ramdev prolong his fast (besides political pressure)?



Wikipedia offers some insight to this query of mine: Glucose is the ‘fuel ‘for brain. When denied glucose for more than 4–8 hours, the body turns to the liver for glycogen, a storage form of glucose, to be used for fuel. A process called glycogenolysis converts glycogen into a usable form of fuel. At this point, the body also uses small amounts of protein to supplement this fuel. This fuel will last for up to 12 hours before the body needs to turn to glycogen stored in muscles, lasting for a few more days. If glucose is still denied at this point, muscle wasting is prevented by temporarily switching to fat as the fuel source, meaning fat is converted into ketone through catabolism. Ketones, while not sugars, can be used by the brain as a fuel source as long as glucose is denied.



The body continues to use fat for as long as there is fat to consume. The body will generally indicate to the faster when fat levels are running extremely low (less than 7% and 10% of body weight for males and females, respectively) with an increased urge for food. Fasts are usually broken long before this point. If the fast is not broken, starvation begins to occur, as the body begins to use protein for fuel. Health complications associated with fast-induced starvation include electrolyte imbalances, thinning hair, lanugo, cardiac arrhythmia and renal failure. Death can occur if fasting is pursued to the point of complete starvation.



So, for now my hunger for knowledge is satisfied and I can fast (oops) rest until next sensation hits the media.



Tina Khanna