Monday, 6 August 2012

Church's rules will help you live longer - Scientific proof

Click on the above link to hear the segment.
 
I caught an item on the BBC Radio 4 "Today" programme this morning about the research now showing that fasting regularly each week has positive health benefits.  Not just on weight but on general health and on brain cells in particular.  The "Horizon" programme on BBC1 this evening at 9pm will look at the research in more detail.  What the neuro-scientist interviewed described was almost exactly the sort of regime recommended by the Church for centuries on each Friday (and Wednesdays in the past in some parts of the Church) - a decent breakfast, no lunch and fish with vegetables for supper.  Apparently, the stress on cells helps them to grow stronger and this applies particularly to brain cells, strengthening them against such things as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

So, scientific proof that what the Church has taught for centuries is good for your physical and mental health and helps you to live longer.  Following the Maker's instructions given through the Church is good for the human person.  Another indication that an organisation with 2,000 years experience might just have learnt some valuable lessons over the centuries and that we abandon our traditions at our peril.

The only thing the poor old Beeb missed out was to add in a light sprinkling of prayer so that body and spirit will be in good shape!
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3 comments:

  1. Anonymous6 August 2012 at 22:34

    I heard this too. Fasting is good for the body and does indeed give our brains a boost in their ability to focus. Our Muslim brothers and sisters can teach us much about fasting, especially what we Christians would deem to be the evangelical counsel associated with it in prayer - that is, to do it quietly.

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  2. Anonymous7 August 2012 at 08:17

    "...a decent breakfast, no lunch and fish with vegetables for supper". Don't quite understand this. That isn't fasting – that's what many of us do every day of the week.

    I remember our elderly parish priest encouraging us to contribute to Family Fast Day by giving up puddings one day a week. My neighbour – a mother of four – said, "Father, we only have pudding one day a week".

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  3. GOR7 August 2012 at 12:09

    As I recall from the Old Catechism Father, a day of fast was to be observed by having “one full meal and two collations”… While there was always some discussion as to what constituted a ‘collation’, it was generally taken to be somewhat less than what one would have at a ‘normal’ meal.

    Of course this was easier to observe in the past when mothers were still at home and there was no access to ‘snack machines’ - much less the money to avail of them!

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