Fasting Linked to Mormon's Healthy Hearts

Mormons Have Less Heart Disease Due to Monthly Fasting Says Study
Report to American Heart Association says people who skip meals better off

Nov. 6, 2007 - Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS or Mormons) have lower rates of heart disease than other Americans and a new study of older people indicates it may be linked to their religious practice of skipping food for one day a month. The Mormon religion also prohibits smoking and it was previously assumed this was the reason they enjoyed healthier hearts.

“People who fast seem to receive a heart-protective benefit, and this appeared to also hold true in non-LDS people who fast as part of a health-conscious lifestyle,” said Benjamin D. Horne, Ph.D., M.P.H., study author and director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at Intermountain Medical Center and adjunct assistant professor of biomedical informatics at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Fasting with Heart Disease

Thomas Ryan, answers the question, "Can I fast with heart disease?"

"The United States holds the record: we lead the world in heart and artery problems. Every second of the day someone is dying of a heart attack. Heart trouble is one of the scourges of western civilization. Yet diseases of the heart do not build up rapidly. It takes a long time to harden and block and artery. There are many contributing causes: cholesterol, fats and fibrous tissues are responsible for the blocking and obstructing of the arteries; lack of exercise and stress also contribute to arterial degeneration. As the inner passage of the arteries becomes so narrow that not enough blood can flow thorough to properly nourish the heart muscle, coronary occlusion occurs. We are all as old as our arteries. Inasmuch as fasting cleanses internal impurities, it is preventative and restorative healthcare."