Introduction: Increasing rates of obesity, diabetes and associated chronic diseases requires implementing a new method of integration for healthy longevity. We have elaborated to take the balance of food, physical activity and mind to achieve a healthy spiritual life by stimulating the self-healing capacity. Objectives: All 161 registered participants to ARSOA Wellness Fasting from October, 2014 to December 2015 were analyzed. Methods: About 20-25 participants each time stayed in a mountainous hotel, and received a combination of low-energy vegetarian diet (about 300 kcal intake by fermented vegetable juice per day), physical exercise (2-hour walking, slow training and stretch), meditation, and lectures about healthy life habits in the 4-day program. Facilities, such as foot spar, radon bath, and massage with/without oil were available in free time. Results: Body weight decreased about 2 kg, and fat percent and muscle volume also decreased during 4 day fasting. Although headache, hungry, gastrointestinal (GI) tract distress, emesis, depressive and cold feeling occurred toward the 2 nd day, these symptoms disappeared at the 4

Introduction : The importance of ketone body metabolism in diabetic patients has been known since the 1970s, but recently β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) has been identified as a key component of a metabolic signaling pathway. However, many questions remain unanswered about individual differences in the production and excretion of ketone bodies. Objectives: Fourteen healthy subjects were admitted in the ARSOA Wellness Fasting program. During a 4-day fasting period, they received a combination of very low-energy vegetarian diet, physical exercise, meditation, and lectures about healthy lifestyles. Methods: Every morning, participants measured their body composition, blood glucose, and β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB). The first urine of the day was analyzed for βHB, glucose, pH and 7 other elements. Ten milliliters of urine were deep frozen for further quantitative analysis. Peripheral blood was collected on days 1 and 4 for routine biochemical analyses and for the determination of serum levels of hormones. All data were collated in an Microsoft Excel ® file, and transferred to SPSS for statistical analysis. Results: Ketone bodies in the blood increased from 0.3±0.2 mM at day 1 to 1.8±0.9 mM at day 4 of fasting, while the glucose level decreased from 5.8±1.9 mM to 4.5±1.5 mM. Increases in peripheral blood βHB were assigned to 3 groups (0.8-1.2 mM, 1.3-1.8 mM, 1.8-4.8 mM). Pass analysis suggested that decreased insulin and glucose levels under 4.5 mM both seemed to trigger ketogenesis. The βHB/Acetoacetate (AcAc) ratio in blood was about 5, regardless of the βHB concentration, but the range varied from 0.56 to 3.36 in the urine. The highest excreted concentration of βHB was 597 mmol/g creatinine. These values returned to normal ranges on the 14 th day (10 days after fasting). Changes in blood ketone bodies significantly correlated with total thyroxin, while urinary epinephrine changes correlated with urinary ketone bodies. Ketone body production seemed to cause hepatic and renal damage, as indicated by a slight alteration in markers of hepatic function and a 12% decrease in eGFR. Conclusions: Four days of fasting induces hyperketosis with some metabolic changes. The magnitude of changes in ketone body concentrations correlates with the levels of insulin, glucose, triacylglycerol and several hormones. The urinary excretion of βHB abruptly increased in group 3 (more than 1.8 mM). It was 100 times higher than the blood βHB concentration. Further studies are necessary to establish the safety of fasting as a way to induce hyperketosis for therapeutic needs. Our observations of a slight decrease in hepatic function and a 12% decrease in eGFR call for caution.

Hypertension is becoming pandemic and WHO estimated the prevalence rate of hypertension being one-third of people aged above 25 years old. Number of patients with hypertension in Japan increased from 9,067,000 in 2012 to 10,108,000 in 2015, and its medical cost was 1,889 billion yen. Number of annual death was 6,932, so the prevention of hypertension is an urgent issue, because of its high risk for cardiovascular disease, cerebral palsy, renal insufficiency, and so forth.We found that suitable fasting is effective in maintaining and/or promoting health, and hypoglycemia by fasting yielded a high concentration of acetone body, especially β-hydoxybutyrate. We also found systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased during fasting and its effects continued at least one month later. It seemed to be a legacy effect of the wellness fasting, so we analyzed the factors and considered the mechanism of this phenomenon.