[MightySunTzu]

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Originally Posted by ginkgo

As far as a fast being protein sparing, Shelton says that the body prefers to consume diseased muscle (like cancer) or poorly formed muscle before fat. The body consumes what it deems to be the worst thing for a person's health first.

This sounds great, but do you have the Shelton quote to support this? If it's true, i'd really like to see it.

From what i have read on the subject, diseased (protein) tissue certainly gets consumed before healthy (protein) tissue but that fat is burned preferentially as fuel. In ketosis, i don't believe the body has a choice. But a certain (relatively small) amount of protein is burned at every stage of the fast and to be sure, the body takes the most diseased of it first.

Shelton from "An Introduction to Natural Hygiene": p. 71

"Nature always favors the most vital organs. Thus fat disappears first and then the other tissues in the inverse order of their usefulness and importance in the organism. During the fast the diseased tissues are broken down and absorbed rapidly. Fasting promotes exorption of exudates, effusions and deposits in a manner that nothing else will"