Fasting Q&A with Dr Jason Fung: Fasting With Low BMI, Oxalates, Metabolic Flexibility, Cancer

Episode #158
In this Fasting Q&A episode, hosted by Coach Lisa Chance, Dr. Jason Fung answers questions from the TFM Community:
• Does fasting help with not choking for an impacted oesophagus? [01:58]
• I have been struggling with my fasting due to terrible headaches that last days after 36-hour fasts. I've been put on a bunch of supplements to support me with detoxification including liver supplements, B vitamins, and activated charcoal, but I find that these can sometimes make the headaches worse. I've been advised to do shorter fasts but this doesn't result in any weight loss. Any idea how I can move past this? [03:36]
• How many meals between fasts is ideal for weight loss? Two or three meals a day? [07:21]
• I understand how excess carbohydrates can be stored as fat (via insulin)., but I'm having a hard time understanding how dietary fat is utilised and stored if we go low carb and increase our fat intake. Isn't dietary fat stored as fat? I am confused about how we are able to burn body fat while eating more dietary fat. [09:25]
• Which fasting protocols would you recommend for people who have a low BMI but still have insulin resistance? [13:09]
• Does miso soup break a fast? It would be a great source of salt and I prefer savory drinks to sour. [15:33]
• I got a CGM so that I could see my glucose response to various foods. Is it correct to assume/conclude that, if I see an increase or spike in glucose, there will be a corresponding increase in insulin? And, conversely, if I do not see an increase in glucose, there is little or no increase in insulin? Could there be a situation where glucose does not go up but insulin does? Is there a correlation between an increase in ketones and a decrease in insulin? [16:41]
• I’ve measured consistently high in oxalate on an OAT test over the last decade. I’ve read that oxalates are difficult to measure in the body, outside of stones which I'm hoping to preempt. Will fasting, detoxing, releasing toxins help reduce high oxalates? [18:03]
• Fasts longer than 48 hours have triggered inflammation in individual finger joints. Is that a potentially common way for detoxing or autophagy to present (meaning, the specific, targeted area rather than more broad based)? [19:59]
• Could you please address the subject of metabolic flexibility? Is it possible to be too fat adapted? [21:22]
• Since cancer is a disease of too much growth and fasting slows down growth, why is it not a good addition to most chemo therapies when the patient has sufficient fat mass to allow for fasting? [24:45]
• In their book, Brain Energy, Dr. Chris Palmer talks about how ketones are beneficial for brain function. In your Toronto clinic, back in the day, did the patients who fasted under your and Megan Ramos's supervision anecdotally report mental health improvements as they progressed through therapeutic fasting regimens? [30:42]
• Why do different people need potentially drastically different amounts of magnesium supplementation when they eat the same foods? My partner and I are almost identical age and weight, and have the same activity level and diet. They do not benefit at all from magnesium supplementation, while I need almost four times the recommended daily dose to feel good and not have muscle cramps. [32:21]
Please note that you need to be a member of the TFM Community to submit questions to the Q&A webinars with Dr. Fung but you can submit questions to our regular Q&A episodes here: bit.ly/TFMPodcastQs
Transcripts of all episodes are available at www.thefastingmethod.com on the Podcast page.
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This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. You should always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before doing any fasting, changing your diet, taking or adjusting any medication or supplements, or adopting any treatment for a health problem. The use of any other products or services purchased by you as a result of this podcast does not create a healthcare provider-patient relationship between you and any of the experts affiliated with this podcast. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

[@md2plus2]

Thank you

[@michellewelch6013]

Again so much gratefulness for the time you take to educate people like me with few health professionals who are willing to guide and educate. I have read all your books now, not because I’m a fan, but because I’m a learner who can mapply what I’m learning to gain better health. While I’ve lost over 65lbs since encountering your books in 2019, my bigger goal is blood glucose improvement. Thank you for saying it’s possible to be healthier.

[@williams.1980]

It would be great if fasting was a remedy or lessened migraines. It might have helped me a little, but unfortunately they are still an occasional thing. Maybe after establishing a lifestyle routine, they will diminish over the long term. Cross my fingers.

[@waxe6742]

Fasting and taking salt has really helped me get through longer fasts. Take salt as soon as you get the migraine and it will resolve. Best of luck

[@williams.1980]

@@waxe6742 thank you.