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Review
. 2023 Feb 28;15(5):1225.
doi: 10.3390/nu15051225.

Christian Orthodox Fasting as a Traditional Diet with Low Content of Refined Carbohydrates That Promotes Human Health: A Review of the Current Clinical Evidence

Constantinos Giaginis  1 , Maria Mantzorou  1 , Sousana K Papadopoulou  2 , Maria Gialeli  1 , Andreas Y Troumbis  3 , Georgios K Vasios  1
Affiliations
Review

Christian Orthodox Fasting as a Traditional Diet with Low Content of Refined Carbohydrates That Promotes Human Health: A Review of the Current Clinical Evidence

Constantinos Giaginis et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Introduction: Christian Orthodox fasting is a pattern high in complex carbohydrates and low in refined carbohydrates. It has been explored in association with its potential health benefits. The present review aims to comprehensively explore the existing available clinical data concerning the potential favorable impact of the dietary pattern of Christian Orthodox fasting on human health.

Methods: PubMed database, Web of Science and Google Scholar were extensively searched in order to identify the more appropriate clinical studies that explore the effect of Christian Orthodox fasting on health-related outcomes in humans utilizing relative keywords. We initially retrieved 121 records through database searching. After applying several exclusion criteria, 17 clinical studies were finally included in this review study.

Discussion: Christian Orthodox fasting showed beneficial effects concerning glucose and lipid control, whereas the data for blood pressure remain inconclusive. Concerning weight control, fasters were characterized by lower body mass and lower caloric intake in the course of the fasting periods. During fasting, this pattern is higher in fruits and vegetables, showing the absence of dietary deficiencies for iron and folate. Nevertheless, dietary deficiencies were recorded for calcium and vitamin B2, and also hypovitaminosis D has been noticed in monks. Interestingly, the vast majority of monks do present with both good quality of life and mental health.

Conclusions: Overall, Christian Orthodox fasting is a dietary pattern low in refined carbohydrates and high in complex carbohydrates and fiber that may be beneficial for human health promotion and chronic disease prevention. However, further studies are strongly recommended on the impact of long-term religious fasting on HDL cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Keywords: Christian Orthodox fasting; cardiometabolic health; low-carbohydrate diet; mental health; public health; refined carbohydrates; weight control.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the study population.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Potential benefit effects of Christian Orthodox fasting on cardiometabolic factors.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Potential benefit effects of Christian Orthodox fasting on weight control.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Potential effects of fasting concerning nutrient intakes and nutritional status (↓: Decrease).
Figure 5
Figure 5
The potential beneficial effects of Christian Orthodox fasting on lifestyle and mental health (↑: Increase, ↓: Decrease).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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