Why is refeeding slowly necessary after a long term fast?
In: 152
Non-eli5: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322120
Basically, after a period of time with little or no food intake, your body switches how it processes energy stores. First it’ll start using up stored fats, then it’ll move to muscle tissue and other proteins. The amount of vitamins and essential electrolytes in your body will fall too, as they aren’t being replenished.
When you start eating again, your body switches back to how it processes energy before, but this creates a sudden spike in your blood sugar (bad) followed by a spike in your insulin (also bad), which will lead to further electrolyte imbalances. This has a knock-on effect on your organs and bodily systems, which can be fatal.
It’s important to have professionals go through the refeeding process to ensure that you’re receiving the proper electrolytes in order to process the food you’re receiving (and to ensure you’re not eating too much too quickly).
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