See the article at http://www.psychologytoday.com/htdoc...826-000018.asp

From the article is this:

"Intermittent fasting is a much more palatable lifestyle than the
continual self-denial of a highly calorie-restricted diet, says Judith
S. Stern, Sc.D., vice president of the American Obesity Association.
"You can almost have your cake and eat it too."

"Study author Mark Mattson, Ph.D., hypothesizes that intermittent
fasting works because each fast is a mild stress. The animals respond
by increasing production of substances known as stress-resistance
proteins, which may make them more resistant to disease. In addition,
the intermittently fasting mice produce more of a chemical called
brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes learning,
memory and the growth and survival of nerve cells. This BDNF appears
to make the animals more resistant to a neurotoxin that produces brain
damage similar to Alzheimer's disease, Mattson says.

"The intermittently fasting animals' cells also become more adept at
scavenging glucose from blood. That, says Mattson, is an antidiabetic
effect, detectable on glucose tolerance tests."

The article, "Fasting Away Disease? By Richard Lovett -- Publication
Date: Jul/Aug 2003" seems well worth reading.

The first paragraph of that article is: "Your mother may have been
wrong: skipping meals may be good for you. It has been known for years
that sharply restricting the calorie intake of laboratory animals
increases their life span. But a new study by researchers from the
National Institute on Aging found that mice that fasted every other
day, then were allowed to eat what they wanted on the intervening
days, seemed more resistant to diabetes than did control mice or
animals on calorie-restricted diets. They were also resistant to a
condition similar to Alzheimer's disease."

Of course it should be stressed that these research results are
preliminary, apparently have not yet been replicated in humans, and
skipping meals or engaging in fasts may be harmful for some people.
But...

Ve-rr-yy Interresstting!!!

Yours,

Caleb