FASTING AS THERAPY – A REVIEW

Abstract

Intermittent fasting is a dietary intervention that will cycle between brief periods of fasting, with either no food or significant dietary calorie restriction, and periods of unrestricted eating. Calorie restriction has been shown in animals to increase lifespan and improve tolerance to various metabolic stresses in the body. Therefore, a review of available studies regarding intermittent fasting on animal and human health was performed. The objective of this review is to summarise the various effects of intermittent fasting regimens, and discuss physiological processes by which intermittent fasting could lead to improved health outcomes. A search was performed on PubMed with the terms “intermittent fasting,” “benefits of fasting,” “fasting” and “autophagy”. Modified fasting regimens appear to promote weight loss and may improve metabolic health and may offer simple, non-pharmacological approaches to improving health.