FuturePundit takes a look at research indicating that alternate-day fasting may produce the same life-extension benefits for mice as calorie restriction:
A new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, raises such a possibility. It shows that healthy mice given only 5 percent fewer calories than mice allowed to eat freely experienced a significant reduction in cell proliferation in several tissues, considered an indicator for cancer risk. The key was that the mice eating 5 percent fewer calories were fed intermittently, or three days a week.
What is encouraging about the findings is that the reduction in cell proliferation from that intermittent feeding regimen was only slightly less than that of a more severe 33 percent reduction in calories. Until now, scientists have been certain only of a link between a more substantial calorie reduction and a reduction in the rate of cell proliferation.
Randall speculates:
Would even shorter fasting periods provide any benefit? It would be interesting to see if any benefit could be derived by eating very day but having at least 12 hour stretches every day when no food is consumed. That might be more achievable. Don’t eat before bedtime and then entirely skip breakfast and make lunch be the first meal of the day.
In the past, I’ve thought about using an approach like this for achieving weight loss. And I’ve lamented that simple calorie restriction is too difficult. I wonder if something like what Randall is suggesting could be made workable?