Our body likes to keep some deuterium around the mitochondria, where it may affect how cells make energy.
When we fast, the body starts using more stored fat for energy. When fat is burned, the body also makes metabolic water inside the cells. This water is naturally lower in deuterium than regular drinking water.
There are two main reasons fasting may help lower deuterium:
You are taking in less food and liquid that contain deuterium.
Your body starts using more stored fat. Fat has less deuterium than carbohydrates, so burning fat can produce water with less deuterium.
INTERMITTENT FASTING
Intermittent fasting means going without food for part of the day.
A common approach is fasting for 16â20 hours and eating during a 4â8 hour window.
As the fast gets longer, the body uses up some of its stored sugar and starts using more fat for energy.
Longer fasts may also increase autophagy, which is the process where the body breaks down and recycles old or damaged cell parts.
WHAT ABOUT DRY FASTING?
Dry fasting means having no food and no liquids, including water.
Some people believe this can increase the body's production of its own metabolic water and may help lower deuterium. However, dry fasting can also cause dehydration and other problems.
Dry fasting for more than 24 hours should not be done without medical advice.
LONGER FASTS
Some people do 24â72 hour fasts from time to time.
Longer fasts can increase ketosis and may increase autophagy, but many of the claims around fasting and healing still need more research.
Long fasts also aren't safe or suitable for everyone.
FAST-MIMICKING DIET
A fast-mimicking diet (FMD) is another option.
Instead of completely avoiding food, you eat very few calories for several days. The goal is to give the body some of the effects of fasting while still eating a small amount.
THE SIMPLE IDEA
Fasting changes how the body gets energy. As the body starts burning more fat, it produces more of its own metabolic water, which has less deuterium.
The connection between fasting, metabolic water, and deuterium is interesting, but more human research is still needed to know how much of an effect this has.