Fasting has gotten a lot of coverage in the news lately and most of it has been positive - for good reason. It turns out that there are myriad healthy effects from fasting and there's a variety of ways to do it, and different time frames. Even a little ends up being a good thing and can help counter excessive fat in the diet and prevent obesity, diabetes and liver disease. In a paper published May 17, 2012 in the journal Cell Metabolism mice limited to eating just eight hours in every twenty-four hour period were healthier than mice that ate at will. After a 100 day trial, researchers found that the mice in the experimental group weighed 28% less and had better blood glucose and lower cholesterol levels than the control group mice, even though both ate the same amount of calories and fat in a 24 hour period.* So once in a while - skip that lunch and just go shopping! The arteries you save may be your own.
*Megumi Haton, Christopher Vollmers, Amir Zarrinpart, Luciano DiTacchio, et al. Time Restricted Feeding without Reducing Caloric Intake Prevents Metabolic Diseases in Mice. Cell Metabolism, 2012
