I recently began intermittent fasting (20:4) and I’d like to try some extended fasts (72H+) so that autophagy kicks in.
I’ve read that fasting can contribute to gallstones so I’m kind of afraid to do fasts altogether.
Is there any way to prevent gallstones when doing extended fasts?
To prevent gallstone when fasting, stop eating a low fat/ high carb diet. Gallstones develop as a result of disuse (low fat diets). Think of what happens to the lid of your detergent as it sits out all day (getting dry and crusty). Same thing happens with a low fat diet. When you fast, suddenly you are flush with fatty acids and your gall bladder springs to life, loosening already developed gall stones. We only blame fasting for gall stones because we’ve been preaching low fat/vegetarian/vegan diets for the last 60-80 years, and demonizing fat, cholesterol, fasting, etc.
I can see how fasting can cause gallstones. If you’re not masticating, your gallbladder doesn’t get the stimulus to start excreting bile. So it just sits there crystallizing. Try chewing sugar free gum. The gut thinks you’re eating and will excrete digestive juices including bile. Be warned tho. When the body excretes digestive enzymes, including insulin and there’s nothing there, your hunger pains and food cravings will go out the roof. Good luck