Occasional fasting may have cardiovascular benefits

A study suggests that taking a short break from food may mean better health.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews staff. Dec. 17, 2007.

The day-long, once-a-month fast many Mormons undertake as a part of their faith may help explain the lower rates of coronary artery disease in this population, according to a study presented at the American Heart Assn.'s scientific sessions in Orlando, Fla., last month.

"People who fast seem to receive a heart-protective benefit," said Benjamin D. Horne, PhD, MPH, the study's senior author and director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City.

Dr. Horne and his team analyzed data on 4,629 people who had coronary angiography from 1994 to 2002 and another 515 undergoing this procedure from 2004 to 2006. In the first group, 61% of those who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were diagnosed with coronary artery disease in comparison with 66% of those who were not of this faith. The later group of patients also was surveyed about religious practices. Approximately 59% of those who fasted occasionally were diagnosed with a significant blockage compared with 67% of those who did not.

That Mormons generally have lower rates of heart disease is well-established. Usually, the religion's prohibition on smoking is credited with this healthy attribute. The authors now suggest that the explanation may be more complicated and that fasting every so often should be studied as a possible healthy lifestyle change that everyone may consider.