Three square meals a day used to be the definition of healthy eating. But no more. New research shows that skipping meals here and there turns on longevity genes and can lead to a longer and healthier life.
Studies in animals have shown that drastically restricting calories or fasting extends lifespan and improves age-related diseases. But it wasn’t clear whether people could achieve the same results.
After all, fasting on a long-term basis or restricting calories over a period of years would be a difficult lifestyle for most people to maintain.
But researchers from the University of Florida have found an effective alternative to fasting or long-term caloric restriction. They call it the feast-or-famine diet. And they’ve found that for some people it mimics the same health and longevity benefits of traditional fasting.
