New research suggests that fasting for two days a week may be one of the best preventive measures against the many degenerative diseases of our time.
According to Professor Mattson, who conducted studies on rats, there would be more benefit in fasting for two days out of the week, rather than observing a strict diet limiting calories on a daily basis. This is how some animals can increase their lifespan by up to 50%. This is great news, as many people would find it easier to restrict their diet drastically for a couple of days than to do it in a lighter, but permanent way.
Especially since fasting does not mean the total absence of food, but rather a significant reduction in the number of calories. To do it right, you need to cut your daily caloric intake in half. The ideal is to reduce caloric intake to between 500 and 800 calories per day. Remember that our entire metabolism is controlled by our brain, and one of the first effects of fasting is to protect the brain cells. Fasting acts on the hunger control mechanisms and on the emission of hormones that regulate appetite such as leptin and ghrelin.
Professor Mattson states that these same hormones act on the cellular renewal of the brain and particularly on the cells of the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the region of the brain where memory functions are located. There would be strong relationships between the size of the hippocampus and memory capacity. For reasons that are not yet clear, and especially in the age group between 40 and 50 years, weight gain leads to a decrease in the level of ghrelin, which reduces the regeneration of brain cells. At this age, obesity would therefore be a possible marker for future cognitive problems.
Contrary to old beliefs, we now know that our brain can show a very high plasticity and that our neurons can renew themselves. In addition to this good news, it is also good to know that existing brain cell damage is more reversible the longer you fast for two days a week. It is currently certain that fasting is very beneficial for people with asthma, for example. This fasting, which is accompanied by a weight loss of about 8%, also allows the level of inflammatory markers to fall by almost 90%. In asthmatics, this is quickly manifested by a very clear improvement in breathing. On the other hand, the benefits fade rapidly after two weeks of stopping fasting.
Fasting can seem frightening for some people, so let's see how to manage this caloric restriction well?
For a few decades, classical medicine has remained fixed on the notion of caloric intake, a notion it considers essential. However, more and more nutritionists are realizing that it is the nutrients provided by food that are important. In the United States, for example, it is known that 6/10 of the caloric intake is provided by cereals and sugars. Sugars are absolutely harmful to health and cereals should be consumed in moderate quantities. For optimal health, protein and certain quality fatty acids are much more important. Thus, raw butter, flaxseed and coconut oil, avocados, almonds, raw fruits and vegetables, eggs or sprouted seeds are foods to be favored.
They will provide you with much better nutrition than the (empty) calories provided by carbohydrates and refined grains.
Stearic acid (cocoa beans) oleic acid (flaxseed oil), palmitic acid and lauric acid (coconut) are all fatty acids that raise the "good" cholesterol and therefore pose no health risk. Moreover, all these fatty acids have a very positive influence on all the hormonal activities that manage our body. Knowing that the reduction of food intake and a relevant choice of food is beneficial for the brain and the whole metabolism, we can only encourage you in this direction. Reducing grains and sugars, replacing them with high quality fats and other light, high energy foods, combined with skipping a few meals and getting some exercise, seems to be the perfect combination to take back control of your health.