A healthy diet will put most people on the path to a long life, but those willing to go the extra mile may have a few additional years to enjoy down the line.
Longevity boils down to a handful of factors relating to genetic makeup and environmental stressors, meaning we have some control over how long we live.
Though the effects of intermittent fasting have yet to be fully understood, there is some evidence the practice may promote longevity.
Time-restricted eating is a form of intermittent fasting that gives people less opportunity to eat throughout the day.
Healthy dietary habits prolong healthspan
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During the periods when someone is abstaining from food, their body taps into fat stores for fuel.
Dietitian at Candida Diet, Trista Best, noted: “Intermittent fasting is not only an excellent way to lose weight, but also improve their longevity.”
A 2023 study by the University of Utah’s Department of Nutritionist and Integrative Physiology elucidates how the practice may prolong life.
The research on mice spotted striking changes in the biological processes that support cell function.
Some of the most notable findings were that inflammation and cell degeneration were both suppressed in fasting rodents.
While the average Briton may eat multiple meals throughout the day, those who practice intermittent fasting instead choose to limit eating to specific times.
This may involve consuming all daily calories within an eight-hour window followed by a 16-hour fasting period, noted Trista.
“Alternate-day fasting requires the dieter to fast one day and eat and drink the next,” shared the dietitian.
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The immune benefits of intermittent fasting are from specific cellular processes
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“Twenty-four hour fasts are done once or twice a week, rather than alternate days like the previous [approach].
“For periodic fasting, the individual will fast multiple days, three or less, once a month. Dry fasting is said to have weight loss and immune support benefits."
Weight loss is attributed to the decrease in food while the immune benefits are from specific cellular processes that occur, Trista explained.
“Damage cells are more easily removed from the body during this time, as the digestive tract can focus on this process alone and the immune system is essential to reset,” she added.
