Research on Ramadan fasting shows the studies are mixed. Some show incredible benefits. Others? Underwhelming. And when you dig into why they differ, the answer is almost always the same: what people ate when they broke their fast.

If you're breaking fast with samosas, sweets, and refined carbs—your body spends the night undoing the very work it spent the day building.

Here's what a well-supported Ramadan fast actually does to your body.

When you fast, your body reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines—the chemical messengers that trigger inflammation. Less inflammation means your immune system isn't constantly on fire, constantly in damage-control mode. It gets to actually protect you instead.

At the same time, fasting stimulates macrophages. These are the front-line defenders—large cells that seek out and destroy bacteria, viruses, and microbes. Think of them as your body's special forces, activated the moment they're given the right environment.

Then there's your gut. Roughly 70% of your immune system lives in your large intestine housed in the microbiome, trillions of friendly microbes that defend you constantly. Fasting strengthens these microbes. Certain genetic pathways get activated that help them survive and thrive longer. Your gut becomes more fortified, not less.

And there's something beautiful the scholars probably understood before the scientists ever did, fasting builds resilience. Your body's resistance to stress increases. DNA repair mechanisms kick in. Oxidative stress, the slow cellular damage that ages us, decreases. Your antioxidant network expands.

Finally, there's autophagy. Your body's recycling system, switching into high gear. Old, damaged cells get cleaned out. Dormant pathogens, microbes that had been hiding in your body for years, sometimes decades, get hunted down and eliminated.

If fasting can rebuild your cells, reset your immune system, and clear out toxins hiding in your body for years — is it really so surprising that it also clears the rust from your heart? A body in repair becomes a soul more open to Allah. The physical and the spiritual aren't separate.

If you want to support your body through Ramadan even more, join us for our daily yoga program. A chance to show up for yourself every day of the month. Your body is doing extraordinary work this Ramadan. Meet it halfway.

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Reflect on this:

What's one small change you can make to your Iftar or Suhoor this Ramadan to eat cleaner and protect the benefits of your fast?

^{Share your reflections in the poll at the end of the email.}