Fasting for longevity
"I saw few die of hunger; of eating, a hundred thousand."
Benjamin Franklin
Studies over the past 70 years have established that substantial calorie reduction - up to 50 percent in some studies - not only can reduce the rate of cell proliferation, it can extend the maximum life span of a variety of organisms, including rats, flies, worms and yeast. The results can be dramatic, with 30 to 70 percent increases in life span reported in the studies.
"Significant caloric restriction is the one and only thing that has been scientifically proven to extend life span," said Hellerstein, who has a joint appointment at UC San Francisco. He noted that while exercise and good nutrition can prevent premature death by disease, they have not been shown to extend a maximum life span.
Meanwhile, a staggering 67% of America is obese (30% over their ideal body weight). Although, the proportion of overweight people in parts of Europe has surpassed US. The portlier countries include Finland, Germany, Greece, the Chech Republic, Slovakia and Malta, as identified by the International Obesity Task Force.
Fasting every other day, while cutting few calories, may lower cancer risk, UC Newswire
A Hunger Artist, Franz Kafka