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Evan Bartlett
Mar 01, 2015
A feast-or-famine diet can mimic some of the benefits of fasting and help to extend lifespan and reduce the impact of age-related diseases, according to a new study.
Researchers, who published their work in the Rejuvenation Research journal, measured changes in weight, blood pressure, heart rate, glucose levels, cholesterol, markers of inflammation and genes involved in protective cell responses in a group of participants as they intermittently fasted over a period of 10 weeks.
The group of 24 alternated between one day of eating 25 per cent of their daily calorific intake and one day of eating 175 per cent.
We found that intermittent fasting caused a slight increase to SIRT 3, a well-known gene that promotes longevity and is involved in protective cell responses.
- Michael Guo, Harvard Medical School
The SIRT 3 gene and the protein of the same name appear to be activated by oxidative stress, which happens during fasting. In studies involving mice, SIRT 3 has been found to extend their lives.
The hypothesis is that if the body is intermittently exposed to low levels of oxidative stress, it can build a better response to it.
- Martin Wegman, University of Florida
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