Sacrificing Meals or Liquid Fasts May Extend Your Life Span
Fasting may sound like torture but science shows sacrificing a few meals may be well worth it, as research proves that periodic or “intermittent” fasting can in fact improve your health, and possibly extend your life span.
Fasts Don’t Need to Be Without Nutrients or Overly Strict
Recent studies were done by researchers at USC who used a low-calorie diet that successfully mimicked a fast. The low-calorie diet was developed and used as an alternative to strict fasting, which is difficult for people to commit to, and not always safe.
The diet was administered twice a month for four days each cycle. The researchers found that neural regeneration was boosted, and improved learning and memory were found in the brains of mice that were put on the low-calorie diet that mimicked a fast.
Fasting Can Slow the Effects of Aging
The diet also cut belly fat and increased progenitor and stem cells in their organs, which points to evidence that the effects of aging can be slowed.
Studies Found Intermittent Fasting Improved Health In Many Areas
Further, the testing results determined that intermittent fasting was found to boost the immune system, reduce cancer, extend lifespan, reduce inflammatory diseases, slow bone loss, and improve cognitive functions.
Additional studies are being conducted on reduced diets, fasting and longevity. This particular case is exciting because it proves results can be achieved without the need for a strict fast, but by using a reduced calorie diet intermittently to boost health and longevity.
Details of this study can be found here: http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(15)00224-7
