Doctors issue warning over Sharon Osbourne’s three-day fast: Millions of women could be at risk of infertility

Sharon Osbourne revealed this week that she doesn’t eat for 72 hours every week – a dangerous habit that doctors say carries major health risks.

The 70-year-old TV personality said she wasn’t eating for “at least” three days on the last episode of The Osbournes Podcast.

Dr Jason Fung, the doctor who invented the intermittent fasting diet, told DailyMail.com the practice could be “very dangerous” if your body doesn’t have enough calories in its fat stores.

And Dr. Mary Jacobson, chief medical officer of Palo Alto, Calif.-based telemedicine company Hello Alpha, told DailyMail.com, “72 hours is really, really extreme.”

Someone who attempted to fast for that long would feel incredibly lethargic and weak, she said, and would be at risk for serious psychological symptoms.

And experts have previously told DailyMail.com that fasting for long periods can impact the hormones that regulate menstruation in women and, in rare cases, could lead to infertility.

The mother-of-three looked effortlessly chic in a black blazer with gold detailing, teamed with matching pants and heels.

In June, Ms Osbourne, pictured left in April, revealed she had lost more than 28 pounds after using the weight loss drug Ozempic (pictured right in September)

Ms Osbourne revealed she went three days without eating during a conversation with her son, Jack, about preparing for the end of the world.

During the conversation, Sharon’s son Jack explained, “If you have something that someone wants, they will kill you for it.” Do you know how far we are as a society from complete collapse? Nine meals.

“When you break it down, you’re nine meals away from a complete and utter breakdown. That’s three days of breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s going away for people, they go three days without eating, they kill each other, their neighbors, everything.

Ms Osbourne then replied: “My God, I do this every week. At least three days without eating.

“It’s called intermittent fasting,” podcast guest star Jason Kennedy responded.

Research on the health benefits of intermittent fasting – eating in a limited amount of time – has been mounting, with the practice’s founders, Megan Ramos and Dr. Fung, touting its benefits for reversing type 2 diabetes, burning weight. excess body fat, extend a person’s lifespan and prevent heart disease. disease, and even prevent cognitive decline associated with dementia.

Following an intermittent fasting diet involves going from a fasting day to a normal eating day. On fasting days, dieters limit their eating to certain times of the day, such as eating only at breakfast or dinner.

This can lead to irregular periods, which is associated with a higher risk of ovarian cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and mental health problems.

Some women say they stopped having periods altogether after fasting eight to 12 hours a day.

Forcing the body to go without nutrients for long periods of time can lead to hormone deficiencies, because hormones cannot function properly without adequate nutrients.

Without hormones, such as luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), women are more likely to have irregular periods and, in rarer cases, become menstrual. Indeed, without periods, women cannot ovulate, which reduces their chances of getting pregnant.

“It’s kind of a cascade of hormonal effects from there,” Carolyn Williams, an Alabama-based dietitian, told DailyMail.com.

Women who have irregular periods or suffer from infertility should consult their doctor before practicing intermittent fasting, she said, “because the last thing you want is to disrupt your hormones.”

Fasting “it all depends on your situation,” Dr Fung told DailyMail.com.

“If you’re very skinny like (Sharon), I definitely wouldn’t recommend it,” he said.

“If you’re underweight and don’t eat for three days, that’s not particularly healthy. It’s sort of common sense.

Previously speaking to E! News, Sharon explained: “In my life I was the heaviest, 230 pounds and now I weigh less than a hundred. And I want to maintain at around 105 because I’m too skinny. But I try to have a healthy balance.

Dr. Fung said, “If you weigh less than 100 pounds, yes, (fasting) is bad. »

Ms Osbourne previously revealed she lost more than 28 pounds after using the the weight loss drug Ozempic to achieve his new figure.

But she has since stopped taking the medication because, according to her, it made her feel nauseous every day and was not a “quick fix.”

She told E! News: ‘But look, I took it for four months, I lost 30 kilos. I just put two chips in my mouth while we were on break, and I’m eating normally now, and I haven’t gained a pound. Nothing.’

Dr. Fung stressed that fasting itself is not bad and is a “godsend” for some people trying to lose weight.

But if there is little or no excess weight to lose, as in Ms. Osbourne’s case, fasting could “start to burn or metabolize things you don’t want,” like functional muscles and muscles. protein, he said.

“If you don’t have energy to waste, you’re going to start to really shut down your metabolism.” Your heart rate will slow down; your blood pressure will drop, your body temperature will drop, because your body now has to conserve calories.

He added: “You’re going to feel tired, you’re going to feel cold, you’re going to be hungry, you’re not going to feel well. If this continues, then your body will have to absorb these calories by taking in functional tissue, i.e. muscle and other proteins, and burn them for fuel…that’s not what you want to do .

“You see this with anorexia nervosa. It’s not healthy; people are dying because of these conditions.

Dr. Jacobson said it would not be a good idea for anyone to fast for three days.

“A periodic 72-hour fast is not sustainable,” she said. “Someone’s not going to keep doing this.” Then the patient enters a vicious cycle of what we call weight cycling, or yo-yoing…they may end up gaining more weight than they started with over time.

She said there wasn’t much medical research into the effects of a 72-hour fast on the body, but one study found that people on a very restricted diet experienced an increase in appetite, as well. as changes in their mental health.

Dr Jacobson added: “They appeared to reflect major depressive symptoms such as sadness, self-blame, as well as difficulty making decisions. Also loss of libido, for some. Problems that occur in the brain. And it’s for healthy people.

Dr. Fung said: “If you don’t eat for three days, you need about 5,000 to 6,000 calories to fuel your body. If you have two pounds of body fat, you can definitely do it. So it’s not a problem. You’re not going to go crazy because your body has more than enough to spare, two pounds out of 50 or 60.’

“If you have 200 or 50 pounds to lose, you can easily afford those three or two pounds.”

But he added: “If you don’t have one, then these two books are a big problem. You could certainly have psychological consequences. People went crazy in these situations. There are mental illnesses and stuff that happens.