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Why Fasting Might Be the Best Medicine for Longevity
(Los Angeles, Jan. 15, 2019) Why should you fast to optimize your body?
- Fasting began with the evolution of early man when our bodies had to adapt to food scarcity at times.
- It has a powerful and positive impact on overall health.
“We eat too much, too often, and at the wrong time of day. We don’t move enough and don’t sleep enough,” says Dr. James LaValle, a clinician, nutritionist, educator and consultant in the field on integrative health care. He is also the author of Cracking the Metabolic Code and one of the speakers at the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) 26th Annual World Congress held last month (Dec. 2018) in Las Vegas.
His topic: Fasting Regimens and Enhancing Lifespan.
“We need to reduce the signals of cravings,” says LaValle. “It’s more than calories ‘in’ and ‘out’ that dictates weight gain and inflammation.”
We are Circadian beings who work by day and sleep by night. Circadian cycles are critical because they control:
- Renewal of cells
- Immune homeostasis
- Neuroendocrine homeostasis
Fasting is thought of as the gold standard for losing weight because it has a cellular renewal effect (mitochondrial regenesis).
Whether you do Alternate Day Partial Fasting, Time Restricted Eating (Intermittent Fasting), Religious Fasting, or the Fasting Mimicking program (Dr. Valter Longo’s Longevity Diet, which is a plant-based diet that restricts calories for 5 days a month), all of these methods can help you lose weight. [See our story on FASTING – It’s Expanding Lifespan and ‘Healthspan’ to learn more about the benefits of different types of fasting.]
What are the benefits of short-term or long-term (periodic or prolonged) fasting?
- Improved insulin sensitivity
- Increased PGCI alpha (cell signals for mitochondria)
- Decreased inflammation
- Reduced oxidative stress
- Rid body of excess fluid
- Improved adaptive response
- Cancer protective
- Improved BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) levels. BDNFis considered an important protein that influences brain function as well as the peripheral nervous system.
- Helped in resetting the nervous system
- Improved cardiovascular health
- Reduced triglycerides
Dr. Longo’s Fasting Mimicking Diet consists of:
- Periodic fasting
- Severe calorie restriction for 5 days a month
- 770 to 1,000 calories using plant-based nutrients
The program improves protectionist and rejuvenation modes and optimizes positive metabolic effects. The diet does seem to help hormone therapy work better.
The bottom line is that restricting calories helps protect our bodies from the disease of aging.
However, the best method of calorie restriction may be guided by a person’s preference – what works for them.
Dr. Lavelle says, “People are eating foods that inflame their bodies. Fasting helps regulate Circadian Rhythms.”
What does Dr. Lavelle suggest? Eat less, live more!
