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Fasting has always been a tradition in many religious groups. It would interesting to study groups that fasted regularly to see what affect it had on longevity.

jostmey 12y ago
Calorie restricted diets have been extensively studied. Radically reducing your food intake is about the only known way to seriously extend lifespan. The trend holds true for virtually every multi-cellular organism ever tested under laboratory conditions.
- MrBuddyCasino 12y ago
  That and exercising. People who longer younger than their age usually have some sports routine, be it swimming, cycling or whatever.
- SoftwareMaven 12y ago
  Reducing one's calorie intake by 30% long-term seems highly unlikely for most people. I do wonder how many of the benefits can be had by just reducing glycation by reducing the amount of simple sugars one consumes.
- Florin_Andrei 12y ago
  But it doesn't seem likely that this is what our biology is adapted to. I think we're primed to function at optimum parameters on a baseline food abundance, punctuated by brief intervals of scarcity. I think that's a much better model for how our very distant ancestors lived. I don't think we're the descendants of those who lived in scarcity all the time. But it's quite likely that the hunting-gathering life had its periods of lean caloric intake regularly.
- yen223 12y ago
  "Radically reducing your food intake is about the only known way to seriously extend lifespan..." At risk of pointing out the bleeding obvious, famine victims would disagree with this.
- tiglionabbit 12y ago
  I wonder if that would still be true among animals that are allowed to eat whatever they want to eat, and given plenty of space and others to interact with. I'm not positive, but I would bet that a big confounder to these results would be that we are feeding all individuals in the study an unhealthy, unnatural diet, isolating them, or causing stress. These factors could cause them to eat too much.
  - jostmey 12y ago
    The data overwhelming supports the hypothesis that eating less extends lifespan in model organisms. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Effects_of_CR_on_life_span_in_different_organisms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Effects_of_...
    - tiglionabbit 12y ago
      > "In contrast to the conclusions reached by the University of Wisconsin–Madison (WNPRC) study, a 2012 National Institute on Aging (NIA) study published in the journal Nature, concluded that a calorie restriction regimen did not improve survival outcomes whether implemented in young or older age rhesus monkeys.[49] A key difference between the WNPRC and the NIA studies is that the monkeys in the WNPRC study were fed a more unhealthy diet.[50]" Perhaps I was right =]
baldfat 12y ago
AS a religious practice I would fast one day a week from sunset to sunset. (Ancient day was from sunset to sunset) But mainly that was an easy thing to do. I only drank water. I would also do some three or four day and I am mad at myself for not practicing fasting more often. I could think so much better and was a great form of self-discipline. Most modern Christians have a wacky idea of fasting. Most do not go water only. Several will drink liquid juices and other liquid foods. No idea why???? Or there is the weird modern invention called the "Daniel Fast" which equals eating Kosher in the Bible but in practice it is eating like a vegetarian for a few days or weeks. No idea how this happened.

jostmey 12y ago

Calorie restricted diets have been extensively studied. Radically reducing your food intake is about the only known way to seriously extend lifespan. The trend holds true for virtually every multi-cellular organism ever tested under laboratory conditions.

MrBuddyCasino 12y ago
That and exercising. People who longer younger than their age usually have some sports routine, be it swimming, cycling or whatever.
SoftwareMaven 12y ago
Reducing one's calorie intake by 30% long-term seems highly unlikely for most people. I do wonder how many of the benefits can be had by just reducing glycation by reducing the amount of simple sugars one consumes.
Florin_Andrei 12y ago
But it doesn't seem likely that this is what our biology is adapted to. I think we're primed to function at optimum parameters on a baseline food abundance, punctuated by brief intervals of scarcity. I think that's a much better model for how our very distant ancestors lived. I don't think we're the descendants of those who lived in scarcity all the time. But it's quite likely that the hunting-gathering life had its periods of lean caloric intake regularly.
yen223 12y ago
"Radically reducing your food intake is about the only known way to seriously extend lifespan..." At risk of pointing out the bleeding obvious, famine victims would disagree with this.
tiglionabbit 12y ago
I wonder if that would still be true among animals that are allowed to eat whatever they want to eat, and given plenty of space and others to interact with. I'm not positive, but I would bet that a big confounder to these results would be that we are feeding all individuals in the study an unhealthy, unnatural diet, isolating them, or causing stress. These factors could cause them to eat too much.
- jostmey 12y ago
  The data overwhelming supports the hypothesis that eating less extends lifespan in model organisms. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Effects_of_CR_on_life_span_in_different_organisms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction#Effects_of_...
  - tiglionabbit 12y ago
    > "In contrast to the conclusions reached by the University of Wisconsin–Madison (WNPRC) study, a 2012 National Institute on Aging (NIA) study published in the journal Nature, concluded that a calorie restriction regimen did not improve survival outcomes whether implemented in young or older age rhesus monkeys.[49] A key difference between the WNPRC and the NIA studies is that the monkeys in the WNPRC study were fed a more unhealthy diet.[50]" Perhaps I was right =]

baldfat 12y ago

AS a religious practice I would fast one day a week from sunset to sunset. (Ancient day was from sunset to sunset) But mainly that was an easy thing to do. I only drank water. I would also do some three or four day and I am mad at myself for not practicing fasting more often. I could think so much better and was a great form of self-discipline. Most modern Christians have a wacky idea of fasting. Most do not go water only. Several will drink liquid juices and other liquid foods. No idea why???? Or there is the weird modern invention called the "Daniel Fast" which equals eating Kosher in the Bible but in practice it is eating like a vegetarian for a few days or weeks. No idea how this happened.