Intermittent fasting may slow ageing

WHILE people tend to follow new diets to get fit and reduce their weight, research has shown that in addition to weight loss, intermittent fasting may have benefits like slowing down ageing, and be capable of fighting cancer and diabetes.

Intermittent fasting diets fall into two categories: daily time-restricted feeding, which narrows eating times to 6-8 hours a day, and so-called 5:2 intermittent fasting, in which people limit themselves to one moderate-sized meal two days each week.

“Intermittent fasting could be part of a healthy lifestyle,” said neuroscientist Mark Mattson, Professor of Neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who has studied the health impact of intermittent fasting for 25 years, and adopted it himself about 20 years ago.