A Review of Research into Intermittent Fasting and its Effects on Longevity

Intermittent fasting (such as alternate day fasting) is not as effective as calorie restriction (consistent reduction in calories every day) in extending life span in animal models such as mice, but it does have many of the same effects on health and longevity. Even when total calorie intake is held consistent between intermittent fasting animals and controls, there are still benefits that accrue to the fasting animals. One might conclude that time spent in a state of hunger, with all of the signaling and changes in cell behavior that comes with it, is a meaningful component of the benefits derived from calorie restriction. In contrast to the short and very frequent fasting periods of intermittent fasting (IF), periodic fasting (PF) or a fasting mimicking diet (FMD) last in most cases between 2 and 7 days (2-3 days in mice and 4-7 days in humans) and are followed by a high-nourishment refeeding period of at least 1 week. Another major difference from IF is that PF can be periodic and does not have to be carried out at a specific interval, but can be applied for one or several cycles either as a preventive measure or to treat a specific disease or condition. FMDs were developed to promote the effects of fasting while standardizing dietary composition, providing nourishment and minimizing the burden and side effects associated with water-only fasting. These steps are necessary for PF and possibly IF to move toward approval from the US Food and Drug Administration and s...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs