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Fasting leads to stress resistance, self-renewal, and regeneration (2014)

by 3eto on 2/20/17, 12:24 PM with 233 comments

by giardini on 2/20/17, 4:28 PM
A total fast is very difficult - intermittent fasting (two fasting days a week, < 700 calories on a fasting day) works well and is easier. Read these articles by Dr. Mirkin, a sports physiologist and cyclist who uses intermittent fasting:
http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/weight-loss-with-intermitt...
http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/why-we-use-intermittent-fa...
There's a book about it (but read the review below before buying): The FastDiet - Revised & Updated: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting by Michael Mosley
https://www.amazon.com/FastDiet-Revised-Updated-Healthy-Inte...
Before buying the book, read this review, which gives tips and suggests that the book is unnecessary:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R30YI8D3RGZOFK/re...
by napsterbr on 2/20/17, 3:47 PM
Since there are a lot of "fasters" here, let me ask something. I'd like to create a fasting habit just to experiment, but can't understand how that's even possible when working out on gym daily. I'm not skinny and have lots of fat to burn, but I think my muscles would catabolyze as soon as I fail one meal. Am I missing something about fasting?
by lr4444lr on 2/20/17, 2:02 PM
The catch-22 is that chemotherapy and cancer itself can reduce appetite and cause weight loss, so doctors demur when their more self-informed patients stumble across research on (temporary) fasting's protective effect (throw "cellular autophagy and health" into Google and you can immerse yourself for hours).
Malnutrition can in turn harm the immune system. Where's the sweet spot? Who knows, and the fear of malpractice suits slows down progress.
by reasonattlm on 2/20/17, 3:48 PM
If this area of research interests you, here are some other resources from recent years:
Will calorie restriction work in humans? http://dx.doi.org/10.18632/aging.100581
Diet that mimics fasting appears to slow aging http://news.usc.edu/82959/diet-that-mimics-fasting-appears-t...
Fasting mimicking diet reduces risk factors for aging and multiple age-related disease https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-02/cci-fm020717...
Diet that mimics fasting may also reduce multiple sclerosis symptoms http://news.usc.edu/101187/diet-that-mimics-fasting-may-also...
Fasting Therapy for Treating and Preventing Disease - Current State of Evidence http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000357765
And so forth. There's a lot of information out there.
by andy_ppp on 2/20/17, 2:40 PM
Does anyone know why fasting seems to make chemotherapy apparently less harmful to your immune system?
"Multiple cycles of fasting abated the immunosuppression and mortality caused by chemotherapy and reversed age-dependent myeloid-bias in mice, in agreement with preliminary data on the protection of lymphocytes from chemotoxicity in fasting patients."
My theory would be that when in a fasting state the body is less likely to utilise the chemotherapeutic compounds in fasting tissues while the cancer instead steadily grows and consumes these drugs? I'm entirely guessing of course; maybe this could be triggered without fasting somehow.
by skoczko on 2/20/17, 6:49 PM
For the "fasters" above who feel like sharing info, a couple of questions: 1. When you fast what food (if any) and drinks do you consume? Coffee, tea? etc 2. How long can you go on the above while fasting? 3. How old are you? 4. Do you exercise? If so what's the frequency and intensity? 5. What's your BMI, if you don't know, would you classify yourself as lean, normal or overweight? 5. Why do you do it? To lose weight? To "cleanse"? To feel better physically and/or mentally?
I'm asking all the above to figure out whether my profile (33yrs old, running every second day with ~30km weekly + basic work out of pushups, pullups, situps, etc, BMI 24) is anything like the profiles of "fasters". A year ago I've noticed I started putting up on weight and decided to switch to a low-carb diet, cut down on beer/wine and exercise regularly. I lost about 6kg of excess fat within 2 months (down to 12% overall fat). Now I have largely reverted back to my standard diet though I avoid sweets/candy, white bread/pasta/rice/potatoes in larger quantities and "processed" food in general. I seem be able to maintain my fat and muscle levels and sustain high energy levels through out the day.
by the_duke on 2/20/17, 4:11 PM
I was interested in what their definition of prolonged fasting was, so, FYI:
> Prolonged fasting (PF) lasting 48–120 hours (Introduction)
by agentgt on 2/20/17, 5:41 PM
There seems to be a lot of different fasting protocols these days.
What works for me is to only eat between 3pm-8pm.... and here is the big one I only get to eat if I have worked out that day!!!! (usually right before. obviously the workout has to be before you eat or else you might not follow through). Incidentally but not intentionally this sort of mimics what happens in the wild for animals (not really humans because homo sapiens have been able to store foods since the beginning of the species).
I lost 30 pounds doing this. I decided to stop because I had a son recently so it was difficult to workout. So now I just do the 12pm-8pm lean gains method.
by markkat on 2/20/17, 5:45 PM
This is a personal anecdote, but I went through about 10 years where I was getting colds and flu-like symptoms several times each year. I did a 72hr fast almost three years ago now, and have only been stay-home sick once since, which happened just a few weeks ago. Friends and family have commented on my health, the difference was so noticeable. I am planning on doing it again soon.
Interestingly, I stored my bone marrow stem cells during this stretch of good health, which includes the long-term hematopoietic stem cells mentioned. I plan to transplant them to my older self later in life. I hope the benefits transfer as well. :)
by seoknucklehead on 2/20/17, 5:02 PM
Fasting is normally associated with religious devotion as described in this article: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1986/04/the-law-of-th...
However, even while describing the spiritual benefits of fasting, this LDS leader also points out what science has said about the benefits of fasting:
"Fasting is also beneficial to us physically. Some time ago I read an article in Science News written by Charles L. Goodrich, which stated that the advantages of modern eating habits extend far beyond the cosmetic. Numerous animal studies have demonstrated that caloric restriction early in life leads to an increased life span and reduces the risk of certain diseases.
"There is also evidence of health-promoting effects of periodic fasting. Some experiments have shown that periodic fasting not only promotes a longer life, but encourages a more vigorous activity later in life."
by gigatexal on 2/20/17, 2:27 PM
According to the study it was fasting for 24 to 120 hours or 2 to 5 days. Yikes. Is that without food and water or just without food?
by lubonay on 2/20/17, 2:09 PM
Most of the studies I've come across regarding fasting are done with mice. I wanna see someone test this in production by using human test subjects!
by wallace_f on 2/20/17, 4:49 PM
If I skip just two meals I get irritability, acid reflux, upset stomach, headache, and at worst, aggressive.
The acid reflux can sometimes get so bad that my ears start to get clogged I get other ENT symptoms.
I don't see how people can do it. I can't.
by rdtsc on 2/20/17, 8:47 PM
It is interesting that some religions include fasting as part of their rituals and traditions.
Specifically I am familiar with Eastern Orthodox https://orthodoxwiki.org/Fasting some of it is just dietary restrictions no meats, sometimes not animal products, etc. And strangely it often includes vegetable oils and wine as well. Monastic communities would practice a total fast sometimes from what I remember.
Wonder if somehow health benefits observed over the centuries ended up codified as religious practice somehow to benefit the followers.
by xbryanx on 2/20/17, 5:22 PM
I think that people overlook the social barriers to adopting even intermittent fasting. My partner (a doctor) thinks it's bonkers and dislikes it when I want to skip meals that we would normally share (family dinner). That's not an insurmountable barrier, but combined with nights out with friends, drinks after work, etc...my fasting routine can get worn down nothing after a few weeks. I hope as the health benefits get popularized, we see some cultural shifts that make it more acceptable in social settings and family structures.
by 3eto on 2/20/17, 5:57 PM
Full title: Prolonged Fasting Reduces IGF-1/PKA to Promote Hematopoietic-Stem-Cell-Based Regeneration and Reverse Immunosuppression.
By 'prolonged' the authors mean lasting 48–120 hours.
by agarttha on 2/20/17, 8:27 PM
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673798/
Although intermittent calorie restriction (CR) has been shown to lower IGF-1, this article shows that prolonged CR does not affect IGF-1 levels. However prolonged protein restriction, especially animal protein, _is_ shown to reduce IGF-1 levels.
by voidlogic on 2/20/17, 3:42 PM
I'd be curious how similar the results of being in nutritional ketosis would be. I've been studies in the past looking at rigorous caloric restriction benefits that demonstrated that people in isocaloric nutritional ketosis got most of the benefits of the restriction group (while not having the misery long term caloric restriction).
by ndb6000 on 2/20/17, 5:22 PM
I enjoyed this recent interview with Valter Longo on the subject of fasting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6PyyatqJSE
They discuss underlying mechanics and various clinical trials and much more...
by jlebrech on 2/20/17, 3:33 PM
our genetic makeup has adapted to famine and fast, if you don't fast whatever hormones we create during fast are missing from the body.
by pbkhrv on 2/20/17, 4:05 PM
Mainstream religions have been advocating various forms of fasting for centuries. Thank you science for explaining why and how it works.
by billytables on 2/20/17, 5:07 PM
Harper's ran an article on this topic in 2012, including a focus on fasting during chemo. It's paywalled, however: http://harpers.org/archive/2012/03/starving-your-way-to-vigo...
by tuxidomasx on 2/20/17, 10:42 PM
It seems to me that the hardest part about fasting is tolerating the cravings for food.
Do people who fast resort to cheating the hunger urge (prescription pills, foods with no nutritional content, etc)? I know there is a well known and highly-available recreational drug that works extremely well for suppressing the urge to eat.
by ABCLAW on 2/20/17, 4:20 PM
I have practiced intermittent and prolonged fasting in the past (for approximately 6 months each), but had to stop on account of dramatically increased irritability, especially surrounding planned fast breaking meals.
How do successful fasting practitioners manage the impact on their mood and restraint?
by jsudhams on 2/20/17, 4:40 PM
In south india, we do intermittent fasting i.e. eat in night and the till next afternoon 1 PM do not eat anything. This is on no moon day + another day for most people who follow. But there are people who do this for 2 to 3 days a week.
by kxs on 2/20/17, 6:32 PM
I'm very interested in fasting. I have been doing IF for 4 months and it works out great. Has anyone experience with prolonged fasting (3 days+) and auto immune diseases, specifically Alopecia?
by xchip on 2/20/17, 5:24 PM
Chill out, this is about "fasting on stem cells", not on people :)
by markfluffalo on 2/20/17, 6:52 PM
If I don't eat every 4 hours I turn into a broken aggressive mess!
by m3kw9 on 2/20/17, 3:50 PM
Aside from the "science" that happens inside the body, has there. Has there been an overall study where you compare the overall life span of a twin? If you are fasting like a 3rd worlder, their mortality rate seem high.
by stupidcar on 2/20/17, 5:32 PM
...in mice.