If you're concerned about heart disease, could a hunger strike be just what the doctor ordered?

According to a new study reported by ScienceDaily.com, researchers have discovered that the monthly fasting undertaken by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (better-known as LDS or Mormons) could explain why the religious group has lower rates of heart disease than other Americans. Church members typically abstain from food and drink for two consecutive meals once a month, in addition to avoid tobacco, coffee, tea, and alcohol.

"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. His study was presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2007.

Though scientists have known since the 1970s that Utah's LDS members experience lower rates of heart disease, it was unclear why. Smoking habits alone were not the answer, as non-smoking LDS members still had lower rates of coronary artery disease than other non-smokers. Probing further, researchers questioned patients (with an average age of 64) about their personal religious preferences and related habits, such as fasting and attending church. The survey revealed that, whereas 67% of non-fasters were diagnosed with artery blockage of 70% percent or more, just 59% of fasters had a significant blockage.

"Fasting was the strongest predictor of lower heart disease risk in the people we surveyed," Horne says. "About 8 percent of the people who fasted did not express an LDS religious preference, and they also had less coronary disease."

Overall, researchers found that fasting reduced a person's odds of developing coronary artery disease by a whopping 39-45%. Abstaining from drinking tea also showed to be beneficial, though to a less significant degree.

"When you abstain from food for 24 hours or so, it reduces the constant exposure of the body to foods and glucose," Horne said. "One of the major problems in the development of the metabolic syndrome and the pathway to diabetes is that the insulin-producing beta cells become desensitized. Routine fasting may allow them to resensitize -- to reset to a baseline level so they work better."
Horne, however, is quick to point out that diabetics should not skip meals.