The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Episode: Water Fasting Scientist: Surprising Link Between Fasting & Cancer! Fasting Completely Resets Your Gut Microbiome!
Guest: Dr. Alan Goldhammer
Date: September 1, 2025

Overview

This episode dives deep into medically supervised water fasting as a potent intervention for reversing chronic disease, resetting the gut microbiome, and transforming one’s relationship with food. Dr. Alan Goldhammer, a pioneering physician and fasting researcher, shares his 40 years of clinical and published experience, focusing on how practical fasting is for hypertension, autoimmune conditions, metabolic disease, and even certain cancers. The conversation challenges prevailing dietary dogmas and explains the mechanisms, protocols, risks, and surprising psychological benefits of water fasting.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power and Mechanisms of Fasting

[00:01–10:55]

• Fasting is presented as the most effective, drug-free treatment for high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and potentially a host of chronic diseases.
• Visceral fat reduction: Fasting uniquely targets the dangerous fat around organs that fuels inflammation and disease (“Visceral fat ... is giving off inflammatory products that's causing heart disease, cancer, diabetes...” — Dr. Goldhammer, 00:18).
• Key metabolic switch: After glycogen stores deplete (~24 hours), the body shifts from using glucose to burning fat and generating ketones, which the brain adapts to use for fuel. This evolutionary trait allowed humans to survive food scarcity.

2. Fasting Protocols: Rest Is Key

[04:32–05:22, 41:39–42:33]

• True “fasting” is abstaining from all food except purified water, under conditions of REST.
  • “If your goal is to maximize fat loss and minimize lean tissue loss, it's important that resting be a part of the protocol.” — Dr. Goldhammer [04:40]
• Being active during fasting leads to greater breakdown of lean muscle, not just fat.
• Supervised refeeding is critical post-fast for safety and to reset the microbiome.

3. Physiological and Cellular Changes

[10:22–14:20, 24:39–26:08]

• Autophagy: Fasting stimulates cellular "cleanup," removing damaged cells and potentially reducing cancer risk.
  • "Autophagy...is how the body gets rid of senescent cells and waste products and cancer cells." — Dr. Goldhammer [12:43]
• Fasting mimics many beneficial effects of exercise (e.g., increased Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor — BDNF) but without physical exertion.

4. Food Environment & the “Pleasure Trap”

[14:20–18:20]

• Modern diets rich in salt, oil, and sugar hijack satiety mechanisms, fueling chronic overeating.
  • “Salt, oil and sugar are not food... They're hyper concentrated...We put them into food to make food taste better.” — Dr. Goldhammer [14:25]
• Dopamine release from these concentrated foods ensures consistent overconsumption.

5. Intermittent vs. Prolonged Fasting

[15:51–17:51, 46:07–47:04]

• Most people benefit from 12 hours of fasting overnight, possibly 16 hours for further weight control.
• Prolonged (5–40 day) water fasts are reserved for significant health issues and done under supervision.
• Healthy individuals can fast once a year for 5–7 days for prevention and “reset.”

6. Fasting and the Gut Microbiome

[30:26–32:52]

• Fasting dramatically reduces both harmful and beneficial gut bacteria, allowing a “reset” upon refeeding—especially of importance for gut-driven diseases (e.g., Crohn’s, IBS).
  • “That's why refeeding after fasting is so important. If you refeed carefully, you have a chance to reestablish that normal microfloral balance.” — Dr. Goldhammer [32:06]

7. Case Studies and Measurable Outcomes

[23:31–24:46, 33:35–38:12, 71:34–72:21]

• Hypertension: 174 patients with high BP normalized without medication after a 2-week average fast.
• Lymphoma: Documented case of follicular lymphoma showing full remission after a 21-day fast and sustained plant-based diet for 10 years.
• PCOS & Women’s Health: Fasting can normalize menstrual cycles and improve fertility for women with hormonal imbalances.
• Body Composition: Two-week fast = ~10% weight loss, 20% total fat loss, 40% visceral fat loss; lean tissue losses recover post-refeeding.

8. Psychological and Sensory Reset

[47:50–48:39, 57:35–58:33, 67:41–68:49]

• Fasting enhances willpower, recalibrates food preferences, and increases sensitivity to flavors, making healthy eating easier.
  • “Any kind of pain is a bad thing... Athletes learn that pain isn't always bad... fasting creates a hormetic effect as well.” — Dr. Goldhammer [26:07]
• The experience of successfully fasting eliminates irrational fears of missing meals.

9. Common Misconceptions and Risks

[60:00–61:19]

• Myth: Fasting leads to muscle wasting or is unsafe for all.
• Reality: With proper resting and monitoring, muscle loss is minimal and recovers post-fast.
• Medical supervision is vital; inappropriate refeeding can cause serious “refeeding syndrome.”

10. Fasting in Context: Long-term Health and Happiness

[74:59–77:35, 79:12–80:13]

• Success requires more than fasting—diet, exercise, and lifestyle change are critical post-fast.
• The root of chronic illness: the lie that health can come from pills or quick fixes, rather than healthful living and delayed gratification.
  • “People think that health comes from pills, potions, powders and treatments instead of healthful living.” — Dr. Goldhammer [72:35]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Health is the direct result of healthful living... that means diet, sleep, exercise.” — Dr. Goldhammer [72:35]
• “Fasting does a similar thing to your gut microbiome as turning a corrupted computer off and on—it’s a reset.” — Dr. Goldhammer [30:26]
• “What's difficult is to go back and live in a world designed to make you fat, sick and miserable and try to live healthfully and live with integrity and deal with the social outflux of being successful.” — Dr. Goldhammer [77:08]
• “There's no drug that reduces insulin resistance, but fasting does.” — Dr. Goldhammer [30:26]
• “After fasting, whole plant foods start to taste good...To get to the point where you actually would prefer to eat whole plant foods rather than the salty, greasy, fatty, processed foods…” — Dr. Goldhammer [67:41]
• “If your only goal is weight loss, diet and exercise are the key. Fasting introduces not just a chance to lose weight, but specifically to mobilize visceral fat.” — Dr. Goldhammer [27:45]
• “You can't cure high blood pressure. You can normalize the pressure...if they go back to eating the greasy, fatty, slimy, salty processed food, it'll come back.” — Dr. Goldhammer [37:24]
• “Fasting is a profound impact on this autonomic, sympathetic, parasympathetic balance... the most profound effect, honestly, is effect on taste neuroadaptation...” — Dr. Goldhammer [65:08]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01 Introduction to Fasting and Disease
• 04:32 What is True Medical Fasting?
• 05:36 Hour-by-hour Physiology of Fasting
• 10:22 Transition to Ketosis & Brain Fuel
• 12:34 Autophagy and Longevity
• 14:20 Modern Food Environment & the Pleasure Trap
• 15:51 Intermittent vs. Prolonged Fasting
• 24:46 Real-world Results with Hypertension and Visceral Fat
• 30:26 Gut Microbiome Reset
• 33:35 Fasting for Women's Health and Cancer
• 41:39 Refeeding Protocol after Prolonged Fast
• 47:50 Fasting for Psychological Reset and Willpower
• 54:22 Fasting and PCOS, Menstrual Health
• 60:00 Safety Concerns & Misconceptions
• 65:08 Fasting as Detox & Autonomic Nervous System Reset
• 67:41 Taste Recalibration & Breaking the Pleasure Trap
• 72:35 The Biggest Lie about Health
• 74:59 Longevity Study & Who Does 40-Day Fasts
• 77:08 Social Challenges After Healing & Fasting

Guest’s Practical Advice

• Healthy people: 12-hour daily fasting, possibly a 1-week fast each year [46:13].
• Those wishing to lose weight: Supervised fast of variable duration; expect ~1lb/day weight loss [48:48].
• People with chronic conditions: Supervised, possibly prolonged water fasting, always under medical oversight [23:31, 59:22].

Final Takeaways

• Medically supervised water fasting, when properly conducted, is a powerful tool for reversing chronic metabolic disease, reducing visceral fat, resetting physiological and even psychological patterns, and dramatically improving health outcomes.
• The long-term benefits depend entirely on adopting healthful living afterward—no hack, supplement, or pill is a substitute for diet, sleep, exercise, and willpower.
• Fasting is not just an intervention, but, if implemented correctly, a psychological “reset” that can make sustained healthy living much more enjoyable and possible.

Disclaimer:
Dr. Goldhammer stresses fasting (especially beyond 24 hours) should always be medically supervised to avoid severe risks such as refeeding syndrome, electrolyte imbalance, or complications for those on medications or with comorbidities.

For more:

• Visit Dr. Goldhammer’s TrueNorthHealth.com for consultation
• Read his book Can Fasting Save Your Life?
• Seek qualified medical review before attempting extended fasting

This summary captures the episode’s core insights, practical guidance, and the unique tone of hope, directness, and challenge from Dr. Goldhammer and host Steven Bartlett. It emphasizes not only the “how” of fasting, but the “why”—both physiologically and psychologically.