alternate day fasting (a.k.a. intermittent fasting)

[Guest guest]

Although most studies cite chronic (daily) calorie restriction (CR)

of 30 to 40%

in respect to energy density of ad lib comsumption, intermittent

fasting (IF),

also called alternate day fasting, wherein the animals/subjects

repeat a

pattern of eating ad lib one day and fasting the next, is the other

main

experimental model for dietary restriction. Anson, et al. have

published

several articles reporting the results of IF experiments conducted

with mice.

Results of these experiments strongly suggest that IF is brain

protective. The

animals in the IF group were much more resistant to neuronal damage

when

injected with excitotoxins (as a model for Alzheimer's disease) than

the ad lib

group, etc. Recently Heilbronn, et al. have published two papers in

which

human subjects followed an IF regimen for 3 weeks. A main finding

from this

human study is that IF increased gene expression for SIRT1, the human

ortholog of sir1, the yeast gene associated with longevity.

A potential problem with long term IF is the tendancy for some

individuals to

exhibit insulin resistance. The limited data available suggest that

this

particular aspect of IF may be gender specific: it appears to be

observed in

female study subjects but not in males.

I have been on a self directed IF regimen for 8 months. I still feel

good and

have not experienced any obvious problems. Are others in this group

exploring IF as an alternative to CR as a paradigm for DR?