Periodic Fasting And Aging

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Constant fasting sounds rather miserable for most people (especially if you’re a foodie) but there may be a way to gain some of the benefits fasting provides, without requiring as much staying power.  In a study at The University of Southern California, when human participants adopted a 5 day fast once a month, many of the risk factors for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as aging biomarkers, were significantly reduced. Even after returning to their normal diet, positive changes were still retained through this cycling method. In mice similar periodic fasting produced more startling results: extending lifespan, reducing inflammation, boosting the immune system, increasing stem cell regeneration, reducing cancer, improving glucose metabolism and boosting neural performance.  The extent of results in humans isn’t yet established and the fasting period was carefully nutritionally controlled, but periodic low calorie dieting may be one way of slowing some aging processes down, giving your body a digestive breather.  Read more at Science Daily