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| Older, old and new: A pleasing symmetry, at least to my mind. |
Fasting is good for you, and its not just me saying it. An increasing number of studies are confirming the health benefits of what is technically referred to as CR or Caloric Restriction.
As early as 1934, a Cornell University study showed that severely reducing the amount calories fed to laboratory rats almost doubled their lifespan. Later, Walford and Weindruch's book The Retardation of Ageing and Disease by Dietary Restriction (1988) reported the results of experiments showing that calorie-restricted mice maintained a youthful appearance for longer and staved off age-related diseases far better than their well fed controls.
Recently there has been much work toward the aim of generalising these findings to other animal species, including humans. The positive effects of Caloric Restriction cited so far include a lowering of cholesterol, blood pressure and improvements in memory. There are many proponents of CR type diets and even an international society boasting several thousand members whose aim is to support and conduct further research into the health benefits of CR.
So if all my anecdotal evidence hasn't yet convinced you of the advantages of Ramadan fasting, maybe some hard science will.
"Ok", I hear you saying, "but if all these benefits are embodied in the clinical principle of Caloric Restriction, why don't you leave all the religious trappings and Islamic dogma behind? Shouldn't this be called 30 Lessons of CR?"
Well, I believe a central pleasure of Ramadan is sharing the fasting with others. This social dimension is not captured in the cold hard numbers of CR. Not only does Ramadan benefit the individual with all the purported health advantages of Caloric Restriction, but the community of people sharing the fast are drawn together by it. It is a great comfort to know that you are not alone when those hunger pangs hit. At the end of a day's fasting, sharing a meal with others who have borne the same hardship promotes spontaneous feelings of gratitude and goodwill - two sentiments that I'm sure any community would like to cultivate in abundance.
So for people seeking health benefits and to practitioners of CR, I propose indulging in a bit of tradition and dogma. Adding a balanced dose of Ramadan into your regime might make your fasting just a bit more palatable and even benefit those around you. And besides "Ramadan" has a much nicer ring to it than "Caloric Restriction", don't you think?
