Can You Live Longer with Occasional Fasting?
Occasional fasting diets have become extremely popular in recent years. They deliver amazing weight loss results quickly and have a host of incredible health benefits associated with them. Many people believe that occasional fasting can train your body to use nutrients more efficiently, help avoid Type 2 diabetes, decrease the risk of heart disease and more. And unlike over inflated claims linked with fad diets, there is a significant amount of scientific proof behind the benefits of fasting.
But can intermittent fasting really help you live longer? The authors of one recent study suggest that it can indeed.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a dieting technique many people use to comfortably reduce their weekly caloric intake (leading to weight loss and helpful biological improvements). While there are a variety of methods out there (the 5:2 Diet, Leangains, Alternate Day Fasting) they basically encompass the same idea: for a period of time (12-36 hours) you simply don’t eat, or if you do eat you dramatically cut calories.
For instance, people who use the 5:2 Diet to lose weight eat normally 5 days out of the week and fast for at least 24 hours on the other two days of the week. Some modified versions of this diet allow people to eat meals or snacks during that 24 hours but limit calories to 400 (roughly one quarter of a recommended daily intake).
Hunger pangs may be a problem in the beginning (though longtime fasters say mind-over-matter techniques make them bearable) so fasting diets allow you to drink as much water as you need. This keeps the body hydrated—which is absolutely essential—and helps keep your belly full.
How Fasting Helps You Live Longer
When you fast, some of your body’s natural systems shut down while others turn on. Researchers at the University of Southern California say that it’s this regenerative kick start that helps decrease a body’s biological age and may result in a longer lifespan.
Lead Professor Valter Longo says that by turning on your body’s growth factors and activating stem cells you’re effectively “. . . killing the bad cells [through fasting] and regenerating with cells that are more functional.” Longo believes that this process leaves you healthier and better off than you were before fasting.
His researchers found that after following this fasting diet for just three months individuals enjoyed:
- Decreased body weight
- Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease
- An increase in stem cell population
These beneficial effects stick around for up to six months!
How The Hollywood 48-Hour Miracle Diet® Can Help
Longo says one of the key components of his specific diet plan is to keep the body well-stocked with essential micronutrients during the fasting process. His plan cuts out fat, cholesterol, and artificial sugars but retains vitamins and minerals.
The Hollywood 48-Hour Miracle Diet® is the perfect companion for an intermittent fasting diet because it does just that. The scientifically-crafted formula is designed to keep your body hydrated while delivering those essential micronutrients. At just 400 calories a day, it helps jump start those beneficial regenerative processes.
Do you want to decrease your waistline while living healthier and (perhaps) even longer? Learn more about The Hollywood 48-Hour Miracle Diet® today.