WASHINGTON — Doctors say fasting isn’t the best way to lose weight because it’s risky.
Still, the practice has been around for thousands of years. Fasting has a religious tradition and is used as a form of protest.
Now, scientists are reporting some remarkable health benefits from a diet that mimics fasting.聽
Scientists at the University of Southern California sharply reduced the calorie, protein, carbohydrates and fat for a group of reasonably healthy adults. The study lasted five days a month over a three-month period.
Scientists say the fasting mimicking diet produced beneficial changes in risk factors of age related diseases.
In the journal , scientists report that the diet cut risk factors for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Test subjects consumed up to 54 percent fewer calories than a normal diet during the five-day trial.
In mice, the scientists found multi-system regeneration, improved metabolism and cognitive function, and decreased bone loss from the fasting mimicking diet.
The scientists say diet and calorie level are key factors affecting aging and age-related diseases.
