Studying the Beneficial Effects of Intermittent Fasting and Calorie Restriction

This article from the more scientific end of the popular science press covers recent research into the beneficial effects of calorie restriction and intermittent fasting in humans. These interventions have been shown to extend life and improve health in near all species tested to date, slowing measures of aging along the way. This area of the field has grown in recent years, with the addition of a fair amount of new human data. Fasting and low calorie diets have been tested as adjuvants for cancer treatment, for example, and as independent ways to improve metrics of health. When external calories stop fueling an animal's metabolism, stores of triglycerides in fat cells are mobilized, and levels of ketones - chemicals that result from the burning of fat for fuel - rise. Decreases in body weight follow. Scientists are further detailing both the underlying metabolic dynamics and interesting physiological phenomena aside from weight loss as they study permutations of fasting in animal models and in humans. Data has recently emerged from research on several forms of so-called intermittent-fasting regimens, including alternate-day fasting, the so-called 5:2 diet, time-restricted feeding, and periodic fasting. Although these regimens vary, they all involve a rhythmic disruption in the typical flow of calories into the metabolic machinery. As the body of scientific literature around fasting has grown, results have been cherry-picked and molded into fad diets. But as books of...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs