If you Wanna Live Longer, then FAST​ (Part-1)

The Dwarves of the Ecuador

There are bunch of people living in Ecuador suffering from a condition called the Laron syndrome which significantly restricts their growth hormone, i.e. they wouldn’t  grow any taller than 3.5 feet. This disease affects less than 350 people worldwide. But what interests researchers is not their size but the fact they seem to be virtually immune to the two of the west’s biggest killers- diabetes and cancer, due to the exceptionally low level of IGF-1 (growth hormone).

There is a connection between IGF-1 and longevity. Our body generally resides in the ‘active mode’ producing new cells due to the presence of this growth hormone; but it switches to a whole different mode- repair mode- when the growth hormone IGF-1 production is reduced. Our body is more susceptible to some cancers and diabetes, in the presence of IGF-1. And the production of IGF-1 depends on the protein intake. When we eat more protein our cells get locked in ‘active mode’, which could also cause to age faster.

It wasn’t just limited to the people of the Ecuador. Prof. Valter Longo, an expert in complex mechanisms which control aging, performed researches based on the IGF-1 on mice of same gender and species. It was found that, reducing the IGF-1 significantly of one mice increased its life expectancy by 40%, which is equivalent to 30-40 years in human.

The Excess of Growth Hormone can Lead to Cancer

Now the question is if there’s a relation between the amount of food intake and the growth hormone-IGF-1! Actually, it is quite obvious. The production of IGF-1 depends on our food intake, especially, food high in protein. When we eat more protein our cells get locked in ‘active mode’, i.e. it gets busy in producing new cells that it can’t provide enough attention to the old ones, which could cause faster aging. Alongside, our body is more susceptible to some cancers and diabetes, in the presence of IGF-1, as well.

FASTING- Prolonged or Alternative day- is more fruitful than dieting

However, according to scientific researches, it is said that fasting is a better option than dieting in order to get results faster, and with comparative ease.

With prolonged fasting, you basically fast for consecutive few days, like three days and four nights; resulting in much more dramatic and much quicker response, and so within 24 hours you decrease your glucose level as well as your main growth, which is IGF-1. But it could be dangerous, hence should be done under supervision. During the time, you should be taking only water, black tea, one 50-calorie soup a day….. sounds difficult!

It was undertaken by the famous journalist Michael Mosley, a renowned presenter of documentaries based on health and medicine. He measured his own IGF-1 before going through the process, and when tested after fasting, it caused a reduction of 50% of IGF-1, and other health benefits; but it actually is as difficult as it sounds; therefore, looking for another easier version, he found about alternate day fasting, discovered by nutritionist Dr. Krista Varady; where you would be reducing your calorie intake to 500-600 on one day for men (400-500 calories for women), and are allowed to eat anything you want on the next. This method wasn’t just tested on the mice but humans as well, showing quite positive results. This inspired Mosley to consider it himself, for the next 5 weeks, after he tested his IGF-1 again and it rose than ever, expressing that the results from the prolonged fasting didn’t last much longer.

He tried the intermittent fasting with 5/2 days, with 5 days being feast days and the 2 days being fast days, in which he would take only 600 calories. At the end of the 5 week period, he went for his tests and the results were pretty amazingly positive, with reduced weight of 8kg, reduced body fat by 7% and most importantly the IGF-1- was halved, along with a significant reduction in blood sugar and other health benefits. Now he counsels about the intermittent fasting of 5:2 days for health benefits.

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