The subjects of the trial were divided into a bigu-fasting group and a control group. The bigu-fasting group consisted of 2 normal healthy qigong practitioners: a 13 year old girl and a male adult. During the experiment, the subjects stayed at the Medical Research Institute to the Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing for 30 days. They were strictly monitored 24 hours a day by three clinical researchers who every minute independently recorded all types of physical activities of the subjects and estimated their daily calorie expenditure, according to the basal metabolism, physical activities and resting energy expenditure (REE) factors of their age, sex and weight. The researchers also completely recorded and estimated the nutritional values of all liquid and food intake of the subjects.
Data collected included physical examination, ECG, EEG, weight, basal metabolism rate (BMR), food intake and energy expenditure analysis, blood-cell analysis, blood serum, hemalbumin, blood pH, urine and stool analysis, salivation, amylase activity, and electrogastric activity.
The results can be summarized as indices of decrease and 1 index of increase. That I,: decrease of the basal metabolic rate, oxygen consumption, respiratory quotient, electrogastric activity and gastric irritability, salivary secretion, amylase activity, urinary and fecal excretion, energy consumption rate, and body weight; and increase of ketone bodies.
During the bigu-fasting period the subjects have been in a state of normal physiological well being, vital strength and mental clarity without feeling of hunger. From the results of the observed clinical study, there could be drawn the following conclusions giving initial recommendations for objective standards of bigu-fasting evaluation: The calorie and nutrient intake amount is substantially lower than the currently established daily nutritional standards. There is a decrease of the metabolic rate, oxygen consumption and respiratory quotient under the state of sitting relaxation; a decrease of the electrogastric activity amplitude and gastric irritability under the state of laying relaxation; a decrease of the salivary secretion amount and amylase activity; decrease of the energy consumption rate of the exercise tolerance; a substantial decrease of urinary discharge of nutrients and minimal amount or lack of fecal excretion; an increase of the amount of ketone bodies; and a small decrease of the bodily weight.
