Is long-term fasting safe? Is there really any evidence of harm from a 30-day zero-calorie diet?

Question

Some people seem to think that they will do severe damage to their health if they skip even one or two meals, and the conventional wisdom seems to be that skipping meals is a bad idea, and that a complete zero-calorie fast is life-threatening, even if it's only for a few days. However, I have been searching articles in the so-called "prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals," and I find almost no cases of any bad effects of fasting lasting up to 30 days and even longer. Does anybody know of any real evidence (or personal experiences) of any harm done by total fasts of up to 30 days? Please be specific.

In the medical literature, there are hundreds of reports of studies of long-term fasts, involving many thousands of patients. The studies consistently show that the patients lost weight, improved their diabetes control, improved rheumatoid arthritis, lowered their cholesterol, felt better, had a better attitude and even scored better on mental aptitude tests. Those results don't sound bad to me. I would like to know of even one case of even one person suffering any harm from a water-only fast of less than 30 days.

Okay, here is my evidence for the benefits of long-term fasting, taken from peer-reviewed medical journals:
http://fastingdiet.blogspot.com/2007/11/are-total-zero-calorie-fasts-safe.html

Anybody that disagrees, where's your evidence?

Answer 1

Fasting is the abstinence from food for a period of time for therapeutic or religious purposes. This supports the body by resting the digestive system and releasing energy for the body to use elsewhere. A short-term fast can last for one to three days. Longer than this would be considered long-term fasting. A water fast is not recommended unless supervised by a doctor. Toxins stored in the body begin to be released and could cause severe detox reactions. Also, people with blood sugar problems could be adversely affected. Most people can adequately and safely maintain a detoxification program based on juicing fresh fruits and vegetables. These supply the nutrients needed to support the body, and they require very little digestion.

Answer 2

In my opinion, it is not safe. Though some degree of "favorable" effects are seen shortly, in the long run, expect that there will be bad consequences that could affect the health.

It is not that I have disagreement with you but even the link provided had some indication of early warnings of harmful effects.Dropping of blood pressure itself is not a very good thing to happen.

Another thing is that the link cited did not include the source of data or its references. The source must be cited for verification, otherwise how will the reader be assured that those data presented are indeed based on peer-reviewed medical journals.

How about checking out this link: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/fast.htm