While intermittent fasting has become somewhat of a fad, not much in the way of science has come to it’s aid. In general it’s said to be better for your health to maintain a steady diet of the right foods, in it’s most simple sense that includes fruit, vegetables, and occasionally meat with an emphasis on fish. That’s the diet I stick to as I’m sure many others do or at least try to.

I’ve never considered fasting to be a legitimate ‘healthy’ choice, why would you want to starve your body of the nutrients and minerals it needs? Well, I’m open to anything with evidence to back it up, and as it turns out, fasting may be one such activity. As Alternet explains:

Mark Mattson is the chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging and a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. […] Mattson described some mechanisms by which he argues intermittent fasting may not only improve markers for cardiovascular health and blood sugar levels, but also improve brain function and help prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as other age-related cognitive problems. Regular doses of moderate hunger, he argues, will make you sharper, regardless of your age.

“Fasting and calorie restriction and exercise activate a pathway called autophagy,” Mattson told the Columbia Chronicle, commenting on the Rejuvenation Research paper. Autophagy, or self-eating, “is a mechanism whereby cells remove garbage and that protects them from building up these damaging proteins. It also increases the production of neurotropic factors which we’ve seen lead to cognitive improvements in animals.”

And thus it appears that I might need to try something different, if for nothing else than to see how it works. How about you? Check out the full post for more information.

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