Page "Fast Sunday" Paragraph 11

Research presented at a recent meeting of the American Heart Association by Benjamin Horne of the University of Utah suggests that the monthly fasts help to protect against coronary artery disease.

Mormons generally have a 61 % rate of coronary artery disease versus 66 % of non-Mormons, which has generally been attributed to abstention from tobacco.

However, among Mormons ( average age 64 ) seeking coronary diagnosis, all of whom reported abstention from alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco, 59 % of those who fasted were found to have coronary artery disease ( 70 % blockage or more ), versus 67 % of those who did not fast.