Asset Details
Do you wish to reserve the book?
Health benefits and consequences of the Eastern Orthodox fasting in monks of Mount Athos: a cross-sectional study
Hey, we have placed the reservation for you!
By the way, why not check out events that you can attend while you pick your title.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place the reservation. Kindly try again later.
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
Health benefits and consequences of the Eastern Orthodox fasting in monks of Mount Athos: a cross-sectional study
Do you wish to request the book?
Health benefits and consequences of the Eastern Orthodox fasting in monks of Mount Athos: a cross-sectional study
Please be aware that the book you have requested cannot be checked out. If you would like to checkout this book, you can reserve another copy
We have requested the book for you!
Your request is successful and it will be processed during the Library working hours. Please check the status of your request in My Requests.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place your request. Kindly try again later.
Journal Article
Health benefits and consequences of the Eastern Orthodox fasting in monks of Mount Athos: a cross-sectional study
2017
Overview
Greek Orthodox fasting (OF), which involves 180-200 days of fasting per year, is dictated by the Christian Orthodox religion. For the first time, this cross-sectional study examines the characteristics and the effects of OF on anthropometry, cardiometabolic markers and calcium homeostasis in Athonian monks (AMs). The daily energy intake of 70 AM (age=38.8[plus or minus]9.7 years) was low during both RD and NRD (1265.9[plus or minus]84.5 vs 1660[plus or minus]81 kcal, respectively, P<0.001). Paired samples t-test showed statistically significant difference between daily intakes in RD and NRD: carbohydrates (159.6[plus or minus]21.8 vs 294.3[plus or minus]23.4 g, P<0.0001) and saturated fat (12.7[plus or minus]0.0 vs 16.4[plus or minus]0.0 g, P<0.0001) were lower, whereas protein (89.2[plus or minus]1.3 vs 72.35[plus or minus]1.3 g, P<0.001) was higher during RD. A subsample of 50 monks (age=38.7[plus or minus]10.6 years) formed a study cohort for cardiometabolic and calcium homeostasis assessment. Body weight (74.3[plus or minus]12.9 kg) and body mass index (BMI; 23.8[plus or minus]4.1 kg/m.sup.2) were independent of level of physical activity. Optimal profiles for lipid and glucose parameters (total cholesterol: 183.4[plus or minus]41.7 mg/dl, LDL: 120.6[plus or minus]37.6 mg/dl, triglycerides: 72.2[plus or minus]31.3 mg/dl, HDL: 48.5[plus or minus]14.2 mg/dl and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) 1.02[plus or minus]0.40) were found. Profound hypovitaminosis D (8.8[plus or minus]6.2 ng/ml), high parathyroid hormone (PTH): 115.5[plus or minus]48.0 pg/ml with normal serum calcium levels (8.9[plus or minus]3.2 mg/dl) was observed. Unaffected by variation in lifestyle factors, the results of this unique study offers clear evidence for the health benefits of the strict Athonian OF through optimal lipid and glucose homeostasis.
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Subject
