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Alternate Day Fasting Improves Physiological and Molecular Markers of Aging [pdf]

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Re: Alternate Day Fasting Improves Physiological and Molecular Markers of Aging [pdf]

#21
post #8
post #4

I was heading to the gym near the Twitter HQ in SF yesterday and saw Jack Dorsey walk past. He looked extremely thin and borderline sick to me. I think he does more extended fasts over the weekend but it’s a bit unnerving when someone in a position to influence behavior like he is seems to be taking fasting to an extreme.

Just as we shouldn't make the assumption that fat people are lazy and gluttonous, we shouldn't make the assumption that skinny people have an eating disorder.

I didn’t say he was sick. I was just recounting my observation. Was literally taken aback by how thin he was.

It’s different when you go on record as a public person in multiple interviews talking about extended fasting. People want to emulate influential people, whether it’s actually a healthy or unhealthy behavior for that individual.

Also, maybe Steve Jobs would still be alive today if we didn’t have this strange learned behavior to not say anything about someone’s health if we think something could be wrong? Something to think about.

Re: Alternate Day Fasting Improves Physiological and Molecular Markers of Aging [pdf]

#22

This fasting caused a 37.4% reduction in caloric intake. It raises the question of whether it was the fasting itself or merely the overall caloric reduction that made the real difference.

"Conversely, continuous CR has also been associated with depleted circulating leukocytes, immunosuppression, and reduced bone density (Devlin et al., 2010; Ritz et al., 2008; Tang et al., 2016; Villareal et al., 2016)."

(CR = caloric restriction)

Re: Alternate Day Fasting Improves Physiological and Molecular Markers of Aging [pdf]

#25
post #9
post #5

>For healthy, non-obese adults, ADF is safe to practice for several months They might just be saying this because they didn't test any further, but does anyone know any reasons why it might stop being safe after several months?

I could think of gallstone disease, but I'm not a doctor.

Specifically, here's the relevant text from the paper:

"...extended overnight fasting periods might increase the risk of gallstone disease (Sichieri et al., 1991)"

Re: Alternate Day Fasting Improves Physiological and Molecular Markers of Aging [pdf]

#26
post #17

I fast, on average, once a week. At least once a month, I try to do an extended fast (2-5 days) to force ketosis. I also do intermittent fasting basically daily (I only eat between 12-8). Been doing this for about 4 years now. Some anecdata: - Fasting > 24 hrs paradoxically gives you an extreme boost of energy and mental focus. I especially love how my olfactory sense is extremely heightened. It's pretty cool and eve…

Can you point to any studies that show the benefits of your vitamin regimen? You point out there are no studies on long term fasting but I am also unable to find the studies on the benefits of vitamins.

Re: Alternate Day Fasting Improves Physiological and Molecular Markers of Aging [pdf]

#27
post #24

A -37% change in caloric intake (Fig. 2B) produces only a -4.5% change in body mass (Fig. 3A)? Seems odd no? Or am I mis-reading something?

Much calorie intake is just an inefficient attempt to get at micronutrients that we are missing. So less calories could just up/down regulate your metabolism and return things to a normal state assuming those fewer calories are proportionally nutrient dense.

Re: Alternate Day Fasting Improves Physiological and Molecular Markers of Aging [pdf]

#28
post #5

>For healthy, non-obese adults, ADF is safe to practice for several months They might just be saying this because they didn't test any further, but does anyone know any reasons why it might stop being safe after several months?

I'm not aware of any specific reason why it'd become unsafe over long periods of time, but just getting regular checkups and talking with a doctor should be enough to identify it in an individual.

While not nearly as scientifically rigorous as this study there's a lot of people out there who do a more general form of this and call it "intermittent fasting". Usually things ends up as a complete restriction on calorie intact except during designated times, 16:8 or 18:6 are common forms of it where you're fasting for 16 or 18 hours a day, and can only eat during those other 8 or 6 hours. You still have to limit your calorie intake (eating 5,000 calories in 6 hours still isn't going to do anything good for your health). And some people take it even more to an extreme with what they call OMAD or One Meal A Day.

This kind of study looks like it points to some of the claims that this kind of diet could have actual benefits aren't entirely unfounded. I've doubted most of the claims I've seen people make since they largely seem completely fanciful and not had any real testing or study done on them but still plan to try to adhere to a diet like this simply because it looks like it should help deal with self-control and discipline issues that I know I have when it comes to food.

Re: Alternate Day Fasting Improves Physiological and Molecular Markers of Aging [pdf]

#29
post #26
post #17

I fast, on average, once a week. At least once a month, I try to do an extended fast (2-5 days) to force ketosis. I also do intermittent fasting basically daily (I only eat between 12-8). Been doing this for about 4 years now. Some anecdata: - Fasting > 24 hrs paradoxically gives you an extreme boost of energy and mental focus. I especially love how my olfactory sense is extremely heightened. It's pretty cool and eve…

Can you point to any studies that show the benefits of your vitamin regimen? You point out there are no studies on long term fasting but I am also unable to find the studies on the benefits of vitamins.

This is a fair point. In fact, most research seems to point to the fact that vitamins don't really do anything. I just do it out of habit.

Re: Alternate Day Fasting Improves Physiological and Molecular Markers of Aging [pdf]

#30
post #17

I fast, on average, once a week. At least once a month, I try to do an extended fast (2-5 days) to force ketosis. I also do intermittent fasting basically daily (I only eat between 12-8). Been doing this for about 4 years now. Some anecdata: - Fasting > 24 hrs paradoxically gives you an extreme boost of energy and mental focus. I especially love how my olfactory sense is extremely heightened. It's pretty cool and eve…

Why would your body breakdown your organs when you still have plenty of adipose stores ?

Do you have a citation for the "starvation mode" ? If it's the 1940's study from MN, that was only when the subjects where well into single digit fat %.

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