14 DAY TRIAL // Several studies carried out over the years have shown that reducing caloric intake has the potential to prolong life expectancy. The thing is that, truth be told, most people would more willingly die younger rather than spend their entire life being hungry.
The somewhat good news is that, thanks to a team of University of Florida Health scientists, we now have a third lifestyle option to embrace: starving ourselves for limited periods of time only to eat to our heart's desire a while later.
Introducing the feast-and-famine diet
In a paper in the journal Rejuvenation Research, the University of Florida Health researchers explain that, as proven by the outcome of experiments carried out on laboratory mice, fasting has the potential to extend lifespan and reduce the risk for age-related diseases.
However, the fact of the matter is that, as beneficial as it might be, fasting is not something most people would willingly adhere to. As specialist Martin Wegman put it, “People don't want to just under-eat for their whole lives.”
Having carried out a series of experiments with the help of volunteers, scientist Martin Wegman and his colleagues have found that there is one simple way to get the benefits of starvation without staying hungry forever and for always: intermittent fasting.
The idea is to consume very little food one day only to feast the following. Apparently, this so-called feast-and-famine diet mimics some of the positive effects of fasting while at the same time being easier to stick to.
How does this diet work?
Writing in the journal Rejuvenation Research, the University of Florida Health scientists explain that, as part of their work, they had 24 volunteers eat 25% of their recommended caloric intake one day and 175% of their caloric intake the day after for 3 weeks in a row.
It was discovered that, courtesy of the rather peculiar diet they were put on, the study participants all experienced a boost in the activity of a gene that goes by the name SIRT 3 and that previous studies have shown is involved in longevity.
“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,” researcher Michael Guo said in a statement.
The outcome of these experiments might sound encouraging, but the University of Florida Health researchers warn that further investigations are needed before the feast-and-famine diet can actually be recommended to people.
More precisely, the scientists say that future studies should focus on how embracing such a diet could affect a person's muscle and fat tissue.