Juice fast question (not what you think)

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earlnabby
earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
My friend's daughter, who is like a niece to me, has been on a 30 day juice fast and is now on day 21 and is thinking of extending it to 40 days. I have discussed juice fasting with her and pointed out why it is a) unnecessary and b) potentially dangerous but she has drunk the kool-aid fully. She is an adult and can make her own foolish decisions.

The reason I am posting is: yesterday she mentioned that she is entering the stage of euphoria that you get near the end, which is why she is thinking of extending it. What is this euphoria and what causes it? Anybody who has studied or read more about these fasts than I have, please chime in. Is this a dangerous phase? Should I talk to her again? She is a single mom of 4 children and I hope this isn't something that could actually put her in the hospital.

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  • Jolinia
    Jolinia Posts: 846 Member
    I hope she's tracking all her nutrients to make sure she's not in for a vitamin deficiency and I hope she isn't consuming so few calories that she is entering the state of euphoria that can come with extended fasting. No or low calories for a couple of days are no biggie for healthy adults, but long fasts are supposed to be under medical supervision with nearly complete rest, not done by someone on her own while chasing four kids around.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,149 Member
    After 21 days, I would think its the "Real food is coming", elation!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited February 2015
    There's a hypothesis in this med abstract

    note ... I haven't read it

    ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17011713

    moodfoods.com/dieting/fasting.pdf
  • Jolinia
    Jolinia Posts: 846 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    There's a hypothesis in this med abstract

    note ... I haven't read it

    ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17011713

    moodfoods.com/dieting/fasting.pdf


    Quote from your link: These feelings have often been attributed to ketosis, the production of ketone bodies which can replace glucose as an energy source for the brain. One of these ketone bodies, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), is an isomer of the notorious drug of abuse, GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate).


    Haha, I've slipped myself a Mickey Finn in the form of steak and didn't even know it.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I like this, but it doesn't help

    io9.com/5976465/enough-already-with-the-juice-cleanses
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I like this, but it doesn't help

    io9.com/5976465/enough-already-with-the-juice-cleanses

    That is good. I used most of those points when I first discussed this with her but she insists that juicing (she does her own, not pre-made stuff) removes the fiber therefore the nutrients get absorbed better (just the opposite actually happens). She stopped messaging me when I asked her where she is going to get the fat needed for brain function and to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    That would be ketosis.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I_Will_End_You wrote: »
    That would be ketosis.
    But WHY does it produce euphoria?

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    edited February 2015
    earlnabby wrote: »
    I_Will_End_You wrote: »
    That would be ketosis.
    But WHY does it produce euphoria?

    Here is one theory: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17011713

    "Abstract

    Anecdotal evidence links the initial phase of fasting or a low-carbohydrate diet with feelings of well-being and mild euphoria. These feelings have often been attributed to ketosis, the production of ketone bodies which can replace glucose as an energy source for the brain. One of these ketone bodies, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), is an isomer of the notorious drug of abuse, GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate). GHB is also of interest in relation to its potential as a treatment for alcohol and opiate dependence and narcolepsy-associated cataplexy. Here I hypothesize that, the mild euphoria often noted with fasting or low-carbohydrate diets may be due to shared actions of BHB and GHB on the brain. Specifically, I propose that BHB, like GHB, induces mild euphoria by being a weak partial agonist for GABA(B) receptors. I outline several approaches that would test the hypothesis, including receptor binding studies in cultured cells, perception studies in trained rodents, and psychometric testing and functional magnetic resonance imaging in humans. These and other studies investigating whether BHB and GHB share common effects on brain chemistry and mood are timely and warranted, especially when considering their structural similarities and the popularity of ketogenic diets and GHB as a drug of abuse."
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited February 2015
    I_Will_End_You wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    I_Will_End_You wrote: »
    That would be ketosis.
    But WHY does it produce euphoria?

    Here is one theory: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17011713

    Same one Jolinia posted up-thread.

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    I_Will_End_You wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    I_Will_End_You wrote: »
    That would be ketosis.
    But WHY does it produce euphoria?

    Here is one theory: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17011713

    Same one Jolinia posted up-thread.


    Oh, sorry. That's all I've got.
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