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Mice that were only fed every other day had more protection
from diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease than mice eating
low-calorie or unrestricted diets, according to a study.
The findings suggest that humans may benefit from skipping
a meal now and then, though researchers noted that going an
entire day without food may not be a good idea.
One group of mice fasted for a day, then the next day the
mice were allowed to eat as much food as they wanted. This
group of mice ended up eating the same amount of calories
as the mice that were allowed to eat as much as they wanted
every day. A third group of mice was fed a low-calorie diet
each day, consuming 40 percent fewer calories than the other
two groups.
After five months, researchers gave the mice a neurotoxin
that damages nerve cells similarly to Alzheimer’s disease.
Mice that fasted had fewer damaged nerve cells in the brain
than mice that ate unrestricted or low-calorie diets.
Eating fewer meals may protect nerve cells by causing them
mild stress, which then makes them better able to cope with
stress such as the neurotoxin, according to researchers.
Moreover, researchers conducted blood tests and found that
the fasting mice had lower insulin levels than the other mice,
which suggests that they had a lower risk of developing diabetes.
Researchers noted that the findings seem to contradict the
generally accepted notion that humans should eat regularly
throughout the day and said that more studies need to be done
to determine whether humans really need to eat three meals
a day.
Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences 2003;10.1073/pnas.1035720100
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