Exploring ways to enhance your health through fasting can lead you to various methods, one of which is “dry fasting.” Unlike typical fasting, dry fasting involves completely giving up both food and fluids. Although this practice can be more challenging than standard intermittent fasting, it offers a range of potential health benefits for those who choose to try it.
Let’s take a closer look at how it works, the benefits it offers, and what you should be aware of if you are considering participating in this particular type of fast.
What is Dry Fasting?
Dry fasting, also known as absolute fasting, involves refraining from both food and all liquids, including water, coffee, tea, and even calorie-free beverages. In the context of intermittent fasting (IMF), dry fasting means eliminating drinks and other liquids during fasting periods.
This approach can be more demanding than other fasting methods and raises concerns about dehydration, making it less suitable for beginners or highly active individuals like athletes. Nevertheless, dry fasting can be safely practiced by those who are generally healthy, have adapted to fat-burning, and only fast for short periods.
It is incredibly similar in practice to Ramadan, a period observed by Muslims during which they fast from dawn to sunset and abstain from both food and water.
The main distinction between dry fasting and fasting during Ramadan lies in their underlying significance. Ramadan fasting is deeply rooted in spiritual and religious practices within Islamic culture, encompassing both food and water abstinence with a focus on spiritual growth. (1)
In contrast, dry fasting outside of Ramadan is generally practiced for health or personal reasons and does not involve these spiritual or religious aspects.
Types of Dry Fasts
There are a few different ways in which you can go about doing a dry fast. Here’s a brief overview of each:
- Soft dry fast: In this type of dry fast, you still have to abstain from consuming water and other fluids, but you are able to come into contact with water. This means you are still able to shower, brush your teeth, wash your face – basically, all of the hygienic habits you’re used to – for the full duration of your fasting period.
- Hard dry fast: In this particular type of dry fast, you cannot come into contact with any water source at all. This means that you can’t drink water or other fluids or take personal hygiene measures (e.g. taking a shower) that consist of coming into contact with water.
- Dry fasting by duration: The third way a dry fast can be categorized is by its duration. You could choose to do an intermittent dry fasting period, in which you fast for a short window each day, or a prolonged fasting period, in which you fast for 12 hours or more.
For beginners, a soft dry fast is generally more comfortable and mentally manageable compared to a hard dry fast. Additionally, if you haven’t attempted any type of fasting before, start with regular fasting – where water intake and other zero-calorie fluids are allowed – before jumping into dry fasting.
Potential Benefits
Just as traditional fasting offers a range of health benefits, so does dry fasting specifically. Let’s talk about the benefits of dry fasting and what you should know about the potential of each one.
1. Reduced Inflammation
One major potential benefit of dry fasting is decreased inflammation. In fact, one study has shown that dawn-to-dusk dry fasting (DDDF) is linked to helping reduce levels of low-grade chronic inflammation in those with increased BMI. (2)
Additionally, scientists have found that fasting can increase arachidonic acid, a lipid that helps decrease the activity of the NLRP3 inflammasome. (3) In other words, when you fast, your arachidonic acid levels go up, and your inflammation levels and responses go down.
In a 2012 cross-sectional study, both healthy male and female subjects participated in a Ramadan fast. At the end of the fasting period, their proinflammatory cytokines – which are released during an inflammation response – were significantly lower, and they had lower blood pressure, body weight, and body fat percentage. (4)
2. Induced Autophagy
Autophagy, a natural biological process that removes damaged or malfunctioning cells, is triggered by fasting.
Dry fasting can help your body induce autophagy, which supports healthy, slower aging due to how autophagy regulates and restores homeostasis. (5)
Furthermore, combining dry fasting with induced autophagy can enhance DNA repair and boost mitochondrial production, contributing to even healthier aging. (6)
3. Improved Skin Health
Another benefit of dry fasting is the potential for your skin health to be improved.
For starters, lowered insulin levels may help reduce your risk of acne. (7) Additionally, it can accelerate wound healing by enhancing endothelial angiogenesis, which supports the migration, growth, and differentiation of endothelial cells. (8)
While more research is needed on the effects of fasting on skin health, these two benefits have been researched and are considered proven.
(Side note: Fasting is one of the best ways to avoid loosening skin on keto or another weight loss diet. Autophagy helps improve your skin’s ability to regenerate and tighten as you lose weight.)
4. Weight Loss
One of the biggest benefits of fasting is the ability to reduce body weight. While fasting is known as a primary weight loss method, dry fasting is a little different.
The weight loss that comes as a result of dry fasting – specifically if you are doing a short-term dry fast – is primarily just the loss of water weight. This means that you’re not really losing any fat mass, but rather your weight is dropping because of the reduced amount of water in your body.
The cause of this is the depletion of your body’s glycogen stores that occurs during fasting. The depletion of these stores reduces water retention – as glycogen binds to water in your body – and cannot be replenished, as you are not drinking any fluids during your dry fast. (9)
It’s really only by fasting consistently over time that true fat loss can be achieved.
5. Reduced Insulin Resistance
Another one of the many dry fasting benefits is the enhancement of your cells’ sensitivity to insulin.
According to a study in healthy adults who took part in intermittent fasting during Ramadan, the fasting period increased insulin sensitivity and reduced insulin resistance and adiponectin levels. (10)
A boost in insulin sensitivity reduces the risk of diseases, such as prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease (11). Dry fasting also helps to lower the body’s natural production of glucose in people with diabetes, which can help maintain balanced insulin levels. (12)
6. Improved Cardiovascular Health
A recent study discovered that dawn-to-dusk dry fasting (DDDF) could potentially help lower the risk of heart disease. (13)
The study showed that apolipoprotein B – a better predictor of heart disease risk than LDL cholesterol – was significantly reduced after four weeks of dawn-to-dusk dry fasting. This decrease remained even a week after the fasting ended.
This is a huge achievement within this field of study, as it will allow for more clinical trials to be completed to discover how DDDF could further help with cardiovascular health, metabolic syndromes, and overall wellness.
Risks, Side Effects, and Complications
Just like with any type of fast, dry fasting comes with its own precautions and short-term side effects you should be aware of before taking the plunge. The most common side effects for those new to dry fasting include:
- Dry mouth
- Increased thirst
- Hunger pangs
- Low energy/fatigue
- Headaches
- Difficulty concentrating
- Mood swings
- Fluctuating urination patterns
These dry fasting side effects are similar to when you’re new to the keto diet. With dry fasting, it’s usually because you’re entering ketosis combined with diminished fluid intake.
It’s important to note, too, that extended dry fasting leads to an increased risk of dehydration, which can contribute to complications such as:
- Low blood volume
- Heat stroke
- Seizures
- Kidney damage
- Coma
It’s best to consult with your healthcare provider if you are considering doing a dry fast and have any concerns about how it may affect you and any underlying health conditions you may have.
Dry fasting is generally not recommended for the elderly, pregnant or breastfeeding women, individuals with a history of eating disorders, or those with specific medical conditions.
How to Do a Dry Fast
Dry fasting can be integrated with various intermittent fasting methods. Whether you’re practicing spontaneous meal skipping, the 16:8 method, alternate-day fasting, one meal a day, or a shorter 4 or 12-hour dry fast, you can incorporate dry fasting by simply ensuring you don’t consume any liquids during your fasting period.
Preparation
Before doing a dry fast, make sure that it’s the right fasting option for you. Dry fasting isn’t the perfect choice for everyone, as staying hydrated at all times is absolutely necessary for some people.
If you’ve decided that dry fasting is the correct fasting plan for you, you’ll want to start planning your pre-dry fasting meal. Focusing on getting healthy fats, protein, and complex carbohydrates. Some excellent choices for creating a pre-fasting meal include:
- Eggs
- Grass-fed beef
- Fatty fish
- Cruciferous vegetables (like cauliflower and broccoli)
- Avocados
- Berries
Make sure to stay away from highly processed and sugary options, as these will lead to blood sugar spikes which will cause you to feel extremely hungry later on – making it harder to successfully complete your fast. (14)
Fasting Schedules to Incorporate Dry Fasting
As with regular intermittent fasting, you can dry fast for 12 to 24 hours, depending on your level of tolerance and comfortability. Here are some of the most popular dry fasting schedules:
- 16:8 – Restricting food and water for 16 hours, followed by a feeding window.
- 20:4 – Eating and drinking within a 4-hour, time-restricted feeding window and fasting for 20 hours.
- Alternate-day fasting – Fasting for 24 hours every other day.
- One meal a day (OMAD) – This is when you fast for 23 hours and consume all your calories from food and drinks within a one-hour, time-restricted eating window.
These are just a few of the main dry fasting period options. If you’re brand new to fasting, keep your dry fasts as short as possible. Restrict food and water for a few hours — let’s say 4 — and gradually increase those hours until you feel comfortable with a full 12-hour fast.
From there, you can proceed to a 16-hour fast, then a 24-hour fast. However, end your fast right away if you feel ill or experience unusual symptoms.
Breaking Your Fast
It’s essential you break a dry fast properly, as you will want to avoid any side effects from ending a fast too quickly or drastically (e.g. bloating, nausea, gas, etc.).
To break your fast, focus on reintroducing nutrient-dense, unprocessed, low-glycemic, and easy-to-digest foods, including:
- Bone broth
- Fermented foods (e.g. kimchi, sauerkraut)
- Eggs
- Fatty fish
- Whey protein
Make sure to avoid eating unhealthy foods to break your fast, such as simple carbs like white bread, pasta, and pastries.
You should also practice mindful eating when breaking your fast. Chew your food slowly, savor it, and stop eating when you’re about 80% full. This allows you and your body to ease back into eating regularly again.
Last but not least, replenish your electrolytes. This is key to helping your body hydrate again after a period without water or fluids.
Try our Perfect Keto Electrolytes, which are designed to provide maximum hydration, boost nutrient absorption, support immune system function, and even fight off keto flu symptoms.
The Takeaway
Dry fasting presents a unique approach that goes beyond traditional fasting methods. By abstaining from both food and liquids on your fast, you may enjoy benefits like reduced inflammation, better skin health, and improved insulin sensitivity.
However, it’s essential to recognize that dry fasting is not suitable for everyone, particularly those at risk of dehydration or with specific health conditions.
As you explore the benefits and challenges of this fasting method, remember to prioritize your well-being by preparing appropriately, starting slowly, and consulting with a healthcare provider if you have any concerns about the period of time you’re wanting to fast for.
Read Next: The 5 Stages of Fasting (And The Benefits of Each One)
FAQ
Can you exercise while dry fasting?
Exercise is allowed during any type of fast, but it is recommended that you exercise during the windows when you are eating – not in the middle of your fast. Exercise causes you to lose water from sweating, and if you don’t replace fluids, you raise your risk of dehydration.
Can you eat food during dry fasting?
The only time you are allowed to eat during a dry fast is when you break (aka end) it. You’ll want to break your fast with foods and drinks rich in vitamins and minerals but not high in carbs.
What’s the difference between water fasting and dry fasting?
Water fasting, which allows for water consumption while restricting food, helps maintain hydration and supports autophagy without the risk of dehydration.
In contrast, dry fasting involves abstaining from both food and liquids, which can increase the risk of dehydration. Dry fasting requires more caution, as opposed to water fasting. Both have great health benefits to offer for overall health, though, if each is done right.
How often should you dry fast?
There are no strict guidelines on the exact number of times you should fast. Whether you choose to dry fast once a week or a few times a month, it’s essential to maintain a balanced and nutritious diet overall.
The quality of your meals before and after fasting will help meet your nutritional requirements, support weight loss, and lower your risk of disease.