Participant Compliance to a Six-Month Traditional and Modified Daniel Fast

Background: We have previously reported multiple health benefits in individuals following the Christian-based fasting protocol known as the Daniel Fast (DF). However, our prior work has involved only short-term (21-day) assessments. For dietary modification to have a profound impact on health, compliance to the dietary plan must be established for the long-term. Materials and Methods We determined the 6-month compliance to a traditional (vegan) DF (n=12), as well as a modified DF (n=9; allowing for the inclusion of small amounts of meat and milk) in healthy individuals. Participants completed diet records during the study period and also rated their overall compliance to the assigned dietary plan. Results Compliance to both dietary plans proved to be satisfactory (approximately 80 in the 6th month; 85 in the 3rd month and 95 during the 3rd week). It is noteworthy that it did not show any major differences between groups. Body weight, from baseline toward month 6, saw a decline in participants assigned to both the traditional DF (79.6±5.3 to 75.5±5.5 kg) and the modified DF (80.4±8.0 to 74.3±6.5 kg). Conclusion These data indicated that both the traditional and modified DF, which involve ad libitum (Latin for “at liberty”) feeding, are realistic for individuals to comply with over a period of several months. Such compliance is associated with a weight loss of approximately 5-8 of the body mass and considering the multi-faceted health benefits of this particular dietary approach, it may result in worthy improvements in overall health. Additional studies of the long-term health implications of this fasting method are also required.