Health Impact Due to Prolonged Water Only Fast by Jain Monk: A Case Report

Abstract

Background: Fasting consists of abstaining from all or part of food and drink for a given period of time. Fasting people have a therapeutic advantage, as fasting can promote weight loss, improve glycemic control, reduce the risk of heart disease, etc. The current investigation of a case was conducted on Jain monk to understand the health impact and generate myriad hypotheses based on prolonged fasting on water alone. Methods: Data were collected from a 46-years aged Tapasavi (Monk) who had started fasting on ‘water only’ for 170 days commencing from 14th January 2023 after taking consent. Blood investigations and Magnetic resonance imaging were also conducted. He was drinking only warm water of around 500 ml in the morning and 500 ml in the evening. Findings: The weight of the person in this case has been reduced from 46 KG at the time of initiation of the fasting to 40.3 KG at the end of fasting. It seems that his biological age corresponds to 18 years old person. Haemoglobin and white blood cells were in normal limit from baseline till last day of fasting. However, lymphocytes decreased. Serum urea increased to 64.88 mg/dl while uric acid increased three times from the baseline level. Serum bilirubin was elevated even during baseline and was also very high on the last day of fasting. Vitamin B12 level was in normal range even after 170 days of water only fast. Serum ketone bodies were raised. Magnetic resonance imaging findings were normal. Conclusion: In this case, blood levels for several indicators have fluctuated, which may mean that a lot of bodily organs aren't functioning properly. More so, this case study generated a number of hypotheses, and in order to create strong support for each hypothesis and long term health impact, the targeted longitudinal, case control, and cohort studies are required for generating robust evidence.