What Fasting Really Does to Your Body

Dr. Eric Berg DC

Intermittent fasting and periodic prolonged fasting may be among the most beneficial things you can do for your health. Discover the benefits of fasting, the best intermittent fasting patterns, how to break a fast, and what happens to your body when you fast.

0:00 Prolonged fasting
1:35 Intermittent fasting
2:44 Benefits of fasting
3:35 Ketones and fat burning
4:17 Growth hormone
4:30 Extended fasting benefits
4:55 16:8 fasting and other fasting patterns
5:27 Spermidine
5:52 Refeeding after a fast
6:07 Fasting and stem cells
6:30 How to break a fast
6:54 Meal timing and insulin resistance
8:26 Fasting and menstrual cycles
9:02 Fasting and menopause
9:39 Fasting and PCOS
10:29 Prolonged fasting and testosterone
11:17 Should I exercise while fasting?

👉 Download Dr. Berg's Free Daily Health Routine: https://drbrg.co/4cvIHSn

Discover more ways to use fasting to support your health:
▶️ https://youtu.be/daFxYFmUH-w
▶️ https://youtu.be/hmBCXFJoUcY
▶️ https://youtu.be/JhRqDqbyJ9o

Learn which supplements can help optimize your fast in this article: https://drbrg.co/4bOzIM2

Just so you know, my full line of high-quality supplements is available on Amazon — search Dr. Berg Supplements.

We’re living in an environmental mismatch. The environment we live in today is very different from the one our ancestors lived in, where frequent eating and snacking were not the norm. The problem isn’t just eating too much but eating too frequently. Intermittent fasting helps return us to more ancestral eating patterns and may be one of the best things you can do for your health.

During the first 12 hours of fasting, insulin begins to drop. Metabolic disease is often related to chronically high insulin. After about 12 hours, your body increasingly relies on fat burning and ketones for fuel, providing an alternative fuel source for the brain.

As fasting continues, autophagy helps clean up damaged cells and supports repair. During a 24- to 48-hour prolonged fast, growth hormone can also increase.

Periodic prolonged fasting can have incredible benefits for the brain, immune system, heart, and more. Many of the benefits of prolonged fasting occur when you refeed. For this reason, how you break your fast is critical.

DATA:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2495396/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8839325/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9400087/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11357-025-02035-4
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11392816/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13352353/

Dr. Eric Berg, DC, Bio:
Dr. Berg, DC, age 61, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis and Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book "The Healthy Keto Plan" and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices but focuses on health education through social media.

Follow Me on Social Media:
YouTube: https://drbrg.co/drberg

YouTube Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@drbergshorts

Keto Recipe: https://www.youtube.com/@drbergketorecipes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drericberg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drericberg/

Spotify Podcast: 🎧 https://drbrg.co/DrBerg-Spotify

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drbergofficial

X: https://x.com/dr_ericberg

Disclaimer:
Dr. Eric Berg, DC, received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose, and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, di

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More description

Intermittent fasting and periodic prolonged fasting may be among the most beneficial things you can do for your health. Discover the benefits of fasting, the best intermittent fasting patterns, how to break a fast, and what happens to your body when you fast.

0:00 Prolonged fasting
1:35 Intermittent fasting
2:44 Benefits of fasting
3:35 Ketones and fat burning
4:17 Growth hormone
4:30 Extended fasting benefits
4:55 16:8 fasting and other fasting patterns
5:27 Spermidine
5:52 Refeeding after a fast
6:07 Fasting and stem cells
6:30 How to break a fast
6:54 Meal timing and insulin resistance
8:26 Fasting and menstrual cycles
9:02 Fasting and menopause
9:39 Fasting and PCOS
10:29 Prolonged fasting and testosterone
11:17 Should I exercise while fasting?

👉 Download Dr. Berg's Free Daily Health Routine: https://drbrg.co/4cvIHSn

Discover more ways to use fasting to support your health:
▶️ https://youtu.be/daFxYFmUH-w
▶️ https://youtu.be/hmBCXFJoUcY
▶️ https://youtu.be/JhRqDqbyJ9o

Learn which supplements can help optimize your fast in this article: https://drbrg.co/4bOzIM2

Just so you know, my full line of high-quality supplements is available on Amazon — search Dr. Berg Supplements.

We’re living in an environmental mismatch. The environment we live in today is very different from the one our ancestors lived in, where frequent eating and snacking were not the norm. The problem isn’t just eating too much but eating too frequently. Intermittent fasting helps return us to more ancestral eating patterns and may be one of the best things you can do for your health.

During the first 12 hours of fasting, insulin begins to drop. Metabolic disease is often related to chronically high insulin. After about 12 hours, your body increasingly relies on fat burning and ketones for fuel, providing an alternative fuel source for the brain.

As fasting continues, autophagy helps clean up damaged cells and supports repair. During a 24- to 48-hour prolonged fast, growth hormone can also increase.

Periodic prolonged fasting can have incredible benefits for the brain, immune system, heart, and more. Many of the benefits of prolonged fasting occur when you refeed. For this reason, how you break your fast is critical.

DATA:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2495396/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8839325/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9400087/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11357-025-02035-4
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11392816/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13352353/

Dr. Eric Berg, DC, Bio:
Dr. Berg, DC, age 61, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis and Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book "The Healthy Keto Plan" and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices but focuses on health education through social media.

Follow Me on Social Media:
YouTube: https://drbrg.co/drberg

YouTube Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@drbergshorts

Keto Recipe: https://www.youtube.com/@drbergketorecipes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drericberg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drericberg/

Spotify Podcast: 🎧 https://drbrg.co/DrBerg-Spotify

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drbergofficial

X: https://x.com/dr_ericberg

Disclaimer:
Dr. Eric Berg, DC, received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose, and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, di

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2026-09-12 13 min
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