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Karwa Chauth 2025: Biohacking The Fast For Resilience, Hormonal Balance And Longevity

Fasting on Karwa Chauth or Ramadan is a kind of Intermittent Fasting (IF) or Time Restricted Eating (TRE), says Dr Sajeev Nair.

Karwa Chauth 2025: Biohacking The Fast For Resilience, Hormonal Balance And Longevity

As a biohacking evangelist, I am fascinated by the fasting strategies in various spiritual traditions. Be it the Ramadan, or the Lent, or Karwa Chauth, these are not only spiritually purifying, but physically, mentally and emotionally purifying too. However, zooming into their mind-body benefits, there is a special place for Karwa Chauth for we Indians.

This is because ancient health traditions of a region are found to benefit the genetic make-up of the native people more. Here, I will delve into the health benefits of the Karwa Chauth fast, and more specifically about how Karwa Chauth can inspire not only married ladies, but all men and women to pursue a habit of fasting that is perfectly suitable for them.

Effect On Obesity And Cardiovascular Diseases

The Karwa Chauth fast is from sunrise to moonrise, that is around 12 hours, which is, metabolically speaking, a kind of magical number, by which time the body's glycogen energy stores in muscles and liver are depleted. The body then starts burning the most dangerous visceral fat, which is mainly found in the belly region, as well as around key organs like liver, pancreas, intestines, stomach, kidneys and heart, making this a great tool against obesity and cardiovascular diseases.

Effect On Resilience

The human body's resilience is all about how effectively it can neutralize excesses and bounce back. Insulin is among the most vital resilient pathways in the human body, which neutralizes excess glucose. But over secretion of insulin causes insulin resistance, diabetes and obesity. 12 hour fasts like Karwa Chauth removes the need for excess insulin, thus boosting resilience.

Effect On Hormonal Balance

Karwa Chauth has some specific hormonal benefits in women. Such a 12 hour fast can increase SHBG levels that helps in controlling excess androgens and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), regulating menstruation, and in improving fertility. 12 hour fasts also have beneficial effects on Human Growth Hormone (HGH), and hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin, apart from regulating insulin. Interestingly, 12 hour fasts are also beneficial in men as, unlike in women, it ups testosterone levels.

Effect On Longevity

These 12-hour fasts like Karwa Chauth extend longevity by multiple pathways. These include autophagy or programmed cell death that removes risky senescent cells, reducing inflammation, improving insulin sensitivity and metabolic health, increasing gut microbiome diversity, and preventing killer lifestyle diseases like heart disease and cancer. It also improves BDNF levels contributing to better cognitive performance and mood.

A Fast For Beginners

Karwa Chauth comes only once in a year. But it should inspire all of us to fast more frequently for maximum benefits. There is an easy and effective way to do this, without any kind of discomfort associated with fasting. This is to simply ensure maximum food-free hours between your supper today and breakfast tomorrow. Anything in excess of 12 hours would act like a fast.

Is Fasting Beneficial For All?

Fasting on Karwa Chauth or Ramadan is a kind of Intermittent Fasting (IF) or Time Restricted Eating (TRE). Regular IF, however, is not equally beneficial for all, and may even be detrimental in some. For instance, IF is not suitable for my genetic profile. Hence, I have switched from IF to portion control, which has been a gamechanger for me. You can test this yourself using a genomic lifestyle management solution like Eplimo which finds out the best fasting strategy for you.

(By Dr Sajeev Nair, Chief Curator, World Biohack Summit Dubai; Founder and Chairman, Vieroots, Bengaluru)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information in this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts, or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

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