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Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

eurekalert.org

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Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#31

Post by atoponce »

themodelplumber wrote: post #27
atoponce wrote: post #21

I recognize this as completely empirical evidence, so take it as that. I am a Mormon. As part of our religious observance, we fast for 2 meals on the first Sunday of every month. Also, I have fasted for the entire duration of the Muslim month of Ramadan twice now. For Mormons, food and drink is abstained starting Saturday night after dinner until Sunday night's dinner. By the time dinner rolls around Sunday night, I…

I'm a Mormon, too, and just wanted to point out a couple of things: > we fast for 2 meals on the first Sunday of every month. Not everyone does (pregnant or nursing women, or the sick, for example (edit: or people who just don't wanna)), and not everyone fasts for that period of time. Some people in different roles in the church (what non-Mormons might call a prophetic / visionary role) are encouraged to fast more of…

> Not everyone does (pregnant or nursing women, or the sick, for example), and not everyone fasts for that period of time. Some people in different roles in the church (what non-Mormons might call a prophetic / visionary role) are encouraged to fast more often.

Indeed. I wanted to put that in my initial comment, and forgot. If you are sick, pregnant, or there are other health concerns, or doctor's orders to prevent you from fasting, then you don't.

Also, you are encouraged to fast more frequently for spiritual matters indeed.

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#32

Post by reasonattlm »

Better publicity materials:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-06/uosc-fts06021...

The paper:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2014.04.014

Really it's just not worth even reading whatever the popular press has to say about a particular strand of research, especially when lines like "regenerate the entire immune system" are thrown around. No, no, no. Not what is happening: read the paper or even just the publicity materials. It is a very specific mechanism involving specific cell populations.

This is of interest to me primarily because it draws a comparatively sharp line in the sand between the occurrence of a beneficial immune system behavior that happens after three days of fasting but not prior to that point. There are not too many other items I can think of in connection with fasting or calorie restriction that have this discrete on/off behavior. It would be interesting to repeat this in healthy volunteers rather than cancer patients.

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#33

Post by lalos »

mingabunga wrote: post #30

I've been eating once a day for the past 3.5 years and I'd read about the supposed immune system benefits. I've not had a cold/flu since then and I used to get 3-4 a year, so I'm sticking with it and I've become used to it anyway.

How many meals worth do you eat once? Do you eat the equivalent calories of three meals in one?

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#34

Post by apinnes »

mingabunga wrote: post #30

I've been eating once a day for the past 3.5 years and I'd read about the supposed immune system benefits. I've not had a cold/flu since then and I used to get 3-4 a year, so I'm sticking with it and I've become used to it anyway.

What sorts of meals are you eating when doing it once a day? Are they big/small meals, or a mix of the two?

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#36

Post by wtbob »

solarmist wrote: post #14
thethrows wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, we need to be able to reproduce and confirm technically that fasting correctly is good for people. But you cannot simply ignore millenia of anecdotal evidence that people who fast simply are more healthier. I find it odd that it's now considered normal to stuff yourself all the time, when historically before maybe a century ago it was considered totally normal to not eat all the time(involuntarily or otherwise)…

What millennia of anecdotal evidence? I've heard claims like that before, but never seen the source of any of these claims. Really? In the past it was common not to eat, voluntarily? That seems hard to believe with how central food is to every culture I've ever been exposed to. In fact you are seen as odd if you choose NOT to partake when others are. If this is common knowledge to you it is certainly not for me, whic…

> In the past it was common not to eat, voluntarily?

Pretty much every religion of which I'm aware has the concept of fasting, and on every culture people terms to make an attempt to follow their religion's strictures (c.f. all the folds you see running at the gym).

Sure, as you more religions don't tend to mention the physical health benefits, but they certainly believe in the psychological health benefits. Regardless of whether they believe in them or not, such regimens will affect their participants' health for good or for ill.

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#37

Post by moron4hire »

mingabunga wrote: post #30

I've been eating once a day for the past 3.5 years and I'd read about the supposed immune system benefits. I've not had a cold/flu since then and I used to get 3-4 a year, so I'm sticking with it and I've become used to it anyway.

I just stopped working in an office for that effect.

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#38

Post by gfodor »

cubano wrote: post #23

I hate the fact that this study seems to be tainted with potential conflict of interest as outlined by @themodelplumber. I wish science could get back to just-being-science and focus on provable, repeatable results sans corporate involvement, as I think if this is really true, it could be a real breakthrough. I have some experience with fasting, and was always surprised how good I felt after a couple of days, and to…

Replies above claim themodelplumber was citing the wrong study -- believing claims of conflict of interest without doing your homework is just as bad as believing studies themselves without doing your homework.

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#39

Post by barbarian »

mingabunga wrote: post #30

I've been eating once a day for the past 3.5 years and I'd read about the supposed immune system benefits. I've not had a cold/flu since then and I used to get 3-4 a year, so I'm sticking with it and I've become used to it anyway.

Another of my kind! I've been eating once a day for about 2 years now.

This is obviously just anecdotal, but for me, I certainly feel more mentally alert during a fasted state; though I wouldn't say I've been sick any more / less than other times in my life.

Friends think I'm quite bizarre for eating this way - but it just seems to work for me.

Re: Fasting triggers stem cell regeneration of damaged, old immune system (2014)

#40

Post by learnstats2 »

gfodor wrote: post #38
cubano wrote: post #23

I hate the fact that this study seems to be tainted with potential conflict of interest as outlined by @themodelplumber. I wish science could get back to just-being-science and focus on provable, repeatable results sans corporate involvement, as I think if this is really true, it could be a real breakthrough. I have some experience with fasting, and was always surprised how good I felt after a couple of days, and to…

Replies above claim themodelplumber was citing the wrong study -- believing claims of conflict of interest without doing your homework is just as bad as believing studies themselves without doing your homework.

There's always conflict of interest.
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