
Fasting leads to stress resistance, self-renewal, and regeneration (2014) - 3eto
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24905167/
======
giardini
A total fast is very difficult - intermittent fasting (two fasting days a
week, < 700 calories on a fasting day) works well and is easier. Read these
articles by Dr. Mirkin, a sports physiologist and cyclist who uses
intermittent fasting:

[http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/weight-loss-with-
intermitt...](http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/weight-loss-with-intermittent-
fasting.html)

[http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/why-we-use-intermittent-
fa...](http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/why-we-use-intermittent-fasting.html)

There's a book about it (but read the review below before buying): The
FastDiet - Revised & Updated: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with
the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting by Michael Mosley

[https://www.amazon.com/FastDiet-Revised-Updated-Healthy-
Inte...](https://www.amazon.com/FastDiet-Revised-Updated-Healthy-
Intermittent/dp/150110201X/ref=la_B00LQSMOHC_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487607799&sr=1-1)

Before buying the book, read this review, which gives tips and suggests that
the book is unnecessary:

[https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-
reviews/R30YI8D3RGZOFK/re...](https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-
reviews/R30YI8D3RGZOFK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewpnt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=150110201X#R30YI8D3RGZOFK)

~~~
buserror
I rather disagree with that short fasting time. The only real hard day is the
first one; so just doing two days is a 'bad deal' I find, you get most of the
inconvenient (the first day), and very little in terms of benefits. By the
second day you are no longer hungry anyway, so why stop?

Perhaps there's lots of research telling you otherwise, but in my case, if I
switch my body and mindset into 'fast' mode, I do it fully. The reason I
prefer fasting vs any other calories reducing diets is that it's /binary/ and
I don't have to count silly calories.

I think a good 'short' fast is 3 days, and up to 5 in my case, simply because
I can fit it into a working week and have a fantastic meal on the friday
evening.

The other thing to note is that the 3 and 4th days (might just be me!) I get a
'mental high' that is quite interesting. Everything seems sharper for a while.

Of course this is just my opinion, trust the doctors, they've been telling us
lies for 40 years about diet and nutrition -- I'm sure /this/ time around they
know what they are doing ;-) [sorry for the sarcasm guys]

~~~
stevecalifornia
This guy is describing an eating disorder-- Anorexia Nervosa specifically. Do
not start doing what he is describing and put yourself on a similar path.

~~~
buserror
Heh, actually that's one of the few message on HN that wants me to start the
message with 'LOL' because I actually did!

I'm french, I cook, I eat, and drink in pretty reasonable amount, and I'm a
muscular 90Kg - with a flat belly, thanks to the fasting.

Last saturday I ate a 32 ounces steak in one sitting... Now that's some sort
of Anorexia I had never heard of before! I do feel very bad for people who
_actually_ have anorexia, but please, don't insult them throwing these claims
around.

~~~
stevecalifornia
Excessive fasting followed by binge-eating is literally the description of an
eating disorder. I know for certain I won't be able to convince you of it
because you already said you don't trust doctors-- but if I can get one person
in here to not go down this path then it was worth the time.

~~~
christoph
I think the difference is that somebody with a true eating disorder such as
anorexia nervosa will still see themselves as overweight regardless of how
much weight they lose. To the point they look like someone who just walked out
of a prison/war camp and they still see fat in the mirror where it just
doesn't exist.

The parent comment sounds as though he his happy with his lifestyle and
weight. What really defines it being a disorder is that the person is never
happy and always feels they need to lose more regardless of what anyone around
them says.

I agree with your sentiment that people should enter such fasting regimes with
immense caution (it could be a slippery slope for some), but I also agree with
the parent that he is probably not suffering such a disorder.

------
napsterbr
Since there are a lot of "fasters" here, let me ask something. I'd like to
create a fasting habit just to experiment, but can't understand how that's
even possible when working out on gym daily. I'm not skinny and have lots of
fat to burn, but I think my muscles would catabolyze as soon as I fail one
meal. Am I missing something about fasting?

~~~
beagle3
Why would you think that? Do you really think all your metabolism is so
fragile that a single missed meal would set it on a different course?

Your body burns alcohol first, then carbs and finally fat. When you fast, you
only have the last one - but you likely have enough of it for a few days
(likely close to a month) before your body needs to break down muscle and
convert it to carbs for fuel (gluconeogensis).

It may not feel very good in the first few days, you will need a lot more
electrolytes, and it will take a few days before your body is doing it
perfectly; fasting puts you into ketosis, with all that entails.

When I fast, I make sure to exercise more than usual, and especially cover all
muscle groups (which I don't religiously do when exercising for fun). It is my
experience that my body will keep muscles i use, but not keep those I don't.
YMMV.

Also, listen to your body but do not extrapolate; the first two days of full
fast may seem impossible, and if you extrapolate them to a full week may seem
like certain death or madness; but after 48 hours or so, there's a phase
change. I stop when I start feeling hungry - usually after a week or so, but
once or twice after a month.

~~~
shanusmagnus
You've fasted for a month once or twice, do I read that right? Did you do any
kind of write-up about it, a blog, anything? Very interested in your
experiences.

~~~
beagle3
Indeed - and another handful of week-to-three fasts.

No, I did not do any write-up. /r/fasting and /r/keto will probably satisfy
your curiosity, but I will mention the following which are not entirely common
(or not commonly described):

. my B12 normalized from "very low, needs supplements monthly" which it had
been in for 6-7 years at that point, to "slightly above normal without any
supplement", and is still there some 20 years later.

. libido went away for the fast, but came back later

. felt perfect, exercised, etc, but friend observed that I was moving much
more economically - e.g. that I was lifting my feet only about 2mm above
ground while walking. I didn't notice that until he did.

------
lr4444lr
The catch-22 is that chemotherapy and cancer itself can reduce appetite and
cause weight loss, so doctors demur when their more self-informed patients
stumble across research on (temporary) fasting's protective effect (throw
"cellular autophagy and health" into Google and you can immerse yourself for
hours).

Malnutrition can in turn harm the immune system. Where's the sweet spot? Who
knows, and the fear of malpractice suits slows down progress.

~~~
baldfat
The effects on mood and brain function is pretty much an established benefit.
"... studies have built on decades-old research establishing a connection
between caloric intake and brain function."

[http://www.johnshopkinshealthreview.com/issues/spring-
summer...](http://www.johnshopkinshealthreview.com/issues/spring-
summer-2016/articles/are-there-any-proven-benefits-to-fasting)

As someone that USE TO (Why is it you have more self-discipline in your 20s
then your older years???) Fast about once a week for 24 hours (supper to
supper). There are many positive benefits as a person when you go past 3 days
also. There are plenty of studies out there about fasting and its benefits and
risk. People who have never done more then 3 days nor have read scientific
research seem to see this as a negative. The human body can go for more then
40 days without food so a few days actually has very little negative
"malnutrition" issues.

The stomach takes about 3 days to shrink after that has finished you actually
don't really feel hungry and surprisingly you would be shocked at the spike in
energy and focus you get for the days 4-10. Longest I have ever done was 10
days but man food explodes with flavor. One of my favorite things is after
coming back to food everything taste better and is more enjoyable.

~~~
bflesch
What kind of drinks do you drink during that fasting period? I imagine I'd
collapse after one day if I wouldn't drink soda or something high-sugar /
high-coffeine.

~~~
gloverkcn
It's not uncommon for people fasting have a glass of juice or fruit. When he
says flavor is more intense it means sugar as well. An orange tastes really
sweet. When having heavily reduced calories your body reacts stronger as well.
Hot tea is a big pick me up.

If you are a big coffee drinker then start during a weekend where you can get
through coming off coffee. Headaches and a mind like molassis are a hard way
to go through th work day.

~~~
notheguyouthink
As someone on low-carb and sometimes keto, sugar is so insanely sweet. I
basically can't touch heavily processed carb foods as they just taste like raw
syrup. Juices too, honestly. Pretty nuts.

~~~
gloverkcn
Definitely. You wouldn't know it looking at me, but I spent a month eatin only
vegetables. Not raw, but no sauces other than some olive oil. I ate a donut
after and it was so sweet it felt acidic.

------
reasonattlm
If this area of research interests you, here are some other resources from
recent years:

Will calorie restriction work in humans?
[http://dx.doi.org/10.18632/aging.100581](http://dx.doi.org/10.18632/aging.100581)

Diet that mimics fasting appears to slow aging
[http://news.usc.edu/82959/diet-that-mimics-fasting-
appears-t...](http://news.usc.edu/82959/diet-that-mimics-fasting-appears-to-
slow-aging/)

Fasting mimicking diet reduces risk factors for aging and multiple age-related
disease [https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-02/cci-
fm020717...](https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-02/cci-fm020717.php)

Diet that mimics fasting may also reduce multiple sclerosis symptoms
[http://news.usc.edu/101187/diet-that-mimics-fasting-may-
also...](http://news.usc.edu/101187/diet-that-mimics-fasting-may-also-reduce-
multiple-sclerosis-symptoms/)

Fasting Therapy for Treating and Preventing Disease - Current State of
Evidence
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000357765](http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000357765)

And so forth. There's a lot of information out there.

~~~
hackermailman
Anybody interested the doctors from the USC article on aging above and here[1]
about simulated fasting now have a startup for it
[http://l-nutra.com/prolon/](http://l-nutra.com/prolon/) and here
[https://prolonfmd.com/](https://prolonfmd.com/) though only available in US,
Italy and Australia right now. It's a 5 day fast once a month for overweight
people or every couple of months for in shape people. No idea what the price
is.

[1][https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9741137](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9741137)

~~~
reasonattlm
The price is zero, because the necessary information to do exactly the same
thing yourself with plain old food is available in the papers and in the vast
number of calorie/micronutrient information sites out there online, and it is
really, really easy to just go and do that.

The point of Prolon is that it is a way to obtain money from the
regulatory/Big Pharma system in order to do more research into quantifying the
benefits fasting and calorie restriction. Not that it is anything special in
and of itself. It is just food, less of it.

------
andy_ppp
Does anyone know why fasting seems to make chemotherapy apparently less
harmful to your immune system?

"Multiple cycles of fasting abated the immunosuppression and mortality caused
by chemotherapy and reversed age-dependent myeloid-bias in mice, in agreement
with preliminary data on the protection of lymphocytes from chemotoxicity in
fasting patients."

My theory would be that when in a fasting state the body is less likely to
utilise the chemotherapeutic compounds in fasting tissues while the cancer
instead steadily grows and consumes these drugs? I'm entirely guessing of
course; maybe this could be triggered without fasting somehow.

~~~
riledhel
I once read that fasting promotes something like "cell reuse" and the body
starts breaking down old/damaged cells faster. I'll try to find the source
(and this is not my field by any means)

~~~
adventured
I think you're referring to the process of cell autophagy and the activation
of it by fasting:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autophagy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autophagy)

------
skoczko
For the "fasters" above who feel like sharing info, a couple of questions: 1\.
When you fast what food (if any) and drinks do you consume? Coffee, tea? etc
2\. How long can you go on the above while fasting? 3\. How old are you? 4\.
Do you exercise? If so what's the frequency and intensity? 5\. What's your
BMI, if you don't know, would you classify yourself as lean, normal or
overweight? 5\. Why do you do it? To lose weight? To "cleanse"? To feel better
physically and/or mentally?

I'm asking all the above to figure out whether my profile (33yrs old, running
every second day with ~30km weekly + basic work out of pushups, pullups,
situps, etc, BMI 24) is anything like the profiles of "fasters". A year ago
I've noticed I started putting up on weight and decided to switch to a low-
carb diet, cut down on beer/wine and exercise regularly. I lost about 6kg of
excess fat within 2 months (down to 12% overall fat). Now I have largely
reverted back to my standard diet though I avoid sweets/candy, white
bread/pasta/rice/potatoes in larger quantities and "processed" food in
general. I seem be able to maintain my fat and muscle levels and sustain high
energy levels through out the day.

~~~
draxofavalon
1- Only water and tea, no sugar of course 2- The most I did was 3 days, I did
that 3 times. Usually I eat my last meal on sunday, next meal on tuesday
night, next meal thursday night and then on friday night I start eating
"normal" till sunday night. 3\. 40 years old 4\. Not really, I walk my dog 3
day a week, I would say 40 blocks walking on those days. 5\. My BMI is 22.9
5\. I started doing it to loose weight, I was tired of eating 6 times a day
and counting calories and picking what to eat and what not; I find a lot
easier and efficient not to to eat. I now have the weight I want to have. I'm
5.3 and weight 132 pound.

I feel really good with that weight and also I love to eat and cook, so in the
weekends I cook a lot and eat a lot of whatever I want, then during the week I
level everything up with the fasting. I try to avoid junk food but that's just
because I love to cook my own meals.

I weight myself naked after my morning bath every weekday, I've noticed that
with just 1 day of fasting my weight goes down at least 4.5 pound. I love
having total control of my weight and being able to loose weight really fast.

I tell this to everyone who asks about my fasting: TRY IT, it really makes you
feel very good and energetic. Most people say "I couldn't do that" but they
don't even try... I think that anyone can be 24hs without eating food.

Whatever info you need just send me an email to my username at gmail.

------
the_duke
I was interested in what their definition of prolonged fasting was, so, FYI:

> Prolonged fasting (PF) lasting 48–120 hours (Introduction)

~~~
projectramo
Thanks, I was looking for this.

That is between 2 - 5 days which is a wide span.

I could probably sustain it for 2 days (a weekend, don't have to be "all
there" for work etc) but 5 would be a miracle so I wish they were clearer on
which one it needs to be.

~~~
SteveCoast
Most people think (like I did) that because they think a sugar crash is the
same thing as hunger. Hunger doesn't feel anywhere near as bad. Once you're in
ketosis, which is the 72 hour mark (give or take) of water-only fasting you
actually feel great. And if you do a keto or paleo diet you won't feel bad in
the first place.

My longest fast was 9.5 days and I felt great the whole time and lost a ton of
weight amongst various other benefits.

Remember, humans used to fast all the time and it was just normal because
either food was unavailable (there didn't used to be unlimited pop tarts for
everyone) or for spiritual reasons. Both what we eat and when we eat were all
invented in the last few hundred years for the most part (chicken was about
100 years ago, breakfast was 2-300 years ago depending when you count it).
Most of these inventions have been a bad idea.

Come join us on /r/fasting and /r/keto on reddit, or read Dr. Fung's books on
obesity and on fasting, or Gary Taubes various books, or Dr. Wahls books, or
Prof. Seyfried's textbook.

~~~
buserror
I agree with that; I do my fasting during the working week, my typical one is
3 to 5 days, starting sunday evening and more often than not, finish by a
fantastic meal on the friday evening.

I haven't tried longer than this, as it suits me. As I mentioned in another
post, I get a nice mental high on the 3 and 4th day, but the 5th I'm actually
quite happy to hit the food again. Oh and crack a beer :-)

I'm fairly sure I could continue, but I feel that my physical performance
would decrease, while the typical 5 day one I don't have any sign of fatigue
-- I do tend to sleep a bit more tho.

I do quite a bit of clay pigeon shooting -- that's a sport that requires good
speed/strength and mental acuity-- and during a fast I feel quicker and will
likely do a better score than on a normal weekday.

------
agentgt
There seems to be a lot of different fasting protocols these days.

What works for me is to only eat between 3pm-8pm.... and here is the big one
_I only get to eat if I have worked out that day!!!!_ (usually right before.
obviously the workout has to be before you eat or else you might not follow
through). Incidentally but not intentionally this sort of mimics what happens
in the wild for animals (not really humans because homo sapiens have been able
to store foods since the beginning of the species).

I lost 30 pounds doing this. I decided to stop because I had a son recently so
it was difficult to workout. So now I just do the 12pm-8pm lean gains method.

~~~
nozzlegear
I've also lost a great deal of weight (~75 pounds) with intermittent fasting,
though my hours were from 12pm to 6pm. The biggest benefit didn't come from
the fasting itself, but from strictly adhering to the window that I had set.
If I can only eat between 12 and 6, then by default I can't graze on food in
the morning or the evenings, which was the biggest source of excess calories
for me.

------
markkat
This is a personal anecdote, but I went through about 10 years where I was
getting colds and flu-like symptoms several times each year. I did a 72hr fast
almost three years ago now, and have only been stay-home sick once since,
which happened just a few weeks ago. Friends and family have commented on my
health, the difference was so noticeable. I am planning on doing it again
soon.

Interestingly, I stored my bone marrow stem cells during this stretch of good
health, which includes the long-term hematopoietic stem cells mentioned. I
plan to transplant them to my older self later in life. I hope the benefits
transfer as well. :)

~~~
asciimo
That made me do a cartoonish head-shake. Is that something you can request
from your physician? Is it the same process as donating marrow? How much does
it cost? How long does it take? Is there science on this technique?

~~~
markkat
>Is that something you can request from your physician?

In MI, NC, and CA atm. Full disclosure, I co-founded the company:
[https://www.foreverlabs.co/](https://www.foreverlabs.co/).

>Is it the same process as donating marrow?

Like an aspiration, but less. 60cc are taken from your pelvis on your lower
back under local anesthetic. It takes a few minutes.

>How much does it cost?

$3500 + $250/yr

>Is there science on this technique?

Yes. There has been an explosion in clinical trials using the MSCs (and HSCs
to a lesser extent) for treatments of ailments ranging from osteoarthritis to
heart disease. Personally, I've been developing therapies bone mesenchymal
stem cells (MSCs) for stroke, brain injury, and other neuropathologies for 15
years. You cells diminish in number and quality with age, so it makes sense to
store young ones for treatment later.

But, beyond that, there is evidence that young-to-old transplantation increase
lifespan:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23967009](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23967009)

We are currently doing our own young-to-old preclinical work in mice, with the
aim to do the first autologous young-to-old human trials.

------
seoknucklehead
Fasting is normally associated with religious devotion as described in this
article: [https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1986/04/the-law-of-
th...](https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1986/04/the-law-of-the-
fast?lang=eng)

However, even while describing the spiritual benefits of fasting, this LDS
leader also points out what science has said about the benefits of fasting:

"Fasting is also beneficial to us physically. Some time ago I read an article
in Science News written by Charles L. Goodrich, which stated that the
advantages of modern eating habits extend far beyond the cosmetic. Numerous
animal studies have demonstrated that caloric restriction early in life leads
to an increased life span and reduces the risk of certain diseases.

"There is also evidence of health-promoting effects of periodic fasting. Some
experiments have shown that periodic fasting not only promotes a longer life,
but encourages a more vigorous activity later in life."

------
gigatexal
According to the study it was fasting for 24 to 120 hours or 2 to 5 days.
Yikes. Is that without food and water or just without food?

~~~
ryanworl
Drinking only water for only 24 hours or even 36 hours is not that difficult
if you have decent self-control and no medical problems.

Personally, I stop being hungry after about 18 hours and it only returns after
about 36, which is as far as I've ever gone.

~~~
draxofavalon
I did the 72 hours fasting 3 times, just to see if I was able to do it and
because I read that 3 days it's something like a reboot of the inmune system.

I do this every week: last meal on sunday night, next meal on tuesday night,
next meal on thursday night, next meal on friday night and on saturdays and
sundays I eat all I want whenever I want. During fasting I only drink water or
tea.

I've been doing this for a year, I feel great :)

~~~
gigatexal
That's also certainly a way to cut down on ones grocery bill. I'm amazed at
self control of some People.

~~~
ashark
Personally, I find absolutes like "I will not eat _period_ " or "I will eat
only pre-packaged x, y, and z for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, respectively,
every day" much easier to follow than more vague calorie-counting rules.

------
lubonay
Most of the studies I've come across regarding fasting are done with mice. I
wanna see someone test this in production by using human test subjects!

~~~
lawless123
Results will be available in ~90 years.

~~~
dingdingdang
If at all: some of these findings were implemented health practises roughly
100 years ago (see for example iodine as mentioned above).

------
wallace_f
If I skip just two meals I get irritability, acid reflux, upset stomach,
headache, and at worst, aggressive.

The acid reflux can sometimes get so bad that my ears start to get clogged I
get other ENT symptoms.

I don't see how people can do it. I can't.

~~~
Tehnix
You might want to go to the doctor with your acid reflux. I personally have to
take an anti-acid everyday else it comes crawling back at me. Things like
often clearing your throat can be a sign of it.

~~~
wallace_f
Thanks. I get that throat clearing, I probably should. I am otherwise very
healthy and active so now that I think about it, may be some underlying cause.

------
rdtsc
It is interesting that some religions include fasting as part of their rituals
and traditions.

Specifically I am familiar with Eastern Orthodox
[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Fasting](https://orthodoxwiki.org/Fasting) some of
it is just dietary restrictions no meats, sometimes not animal products, etc.
And strangely it often includes vegetable oils and wine as well. Monastic
communities would practice a total fast sometimes from what I remember.

Wonder if somehow health benefits observed over the centuries ended up
codified as religious practice somehow to benefit the followers.

------
xbryanx
I think that people overlook the social barriers to adopting even intermittent
fasting. My partner (a doctor) thinks it's bonkers and dislikes it when I want
to skip meals that we would normally share (family dinner). That's not an
insurmountable barrier, but combined with nights out with friends, drinks
after work, etc...my fasting routine can get worn down nothing after a few
weeks. I hope as the health benefits get popularized, we see some cultural
shifts that make it more acceptable in social settings and family structures.

~~~
emcq
Unfortunately, I dont think this will happen.

So much in society revolves around delicious food and relaxing beverages.

How would a business make money from someone fasting?

------
3eto
Full title: Prolonged Fasting Reduces IGF-1/PKA to Promote Hematopoietic-Stem-
Cell-Based Regeneration and Reverse Immunosuppression.

By 'prolonged' the authors mean lasting 48–120 hours.

------
agarttha
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673798/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673798/)

Although intermittent calorie restriction (CR) has been shown to lower IGF-1,
this article shows that prolonged CR does not affect IGF-1 levels. However
prolonged protein restriction, especially animal protein, _is_ shown to reduce
IGF-1 levels.

------
voidlogic
I'd be curious how similar the results of being in nutritional ketosis would
be. I've been studies in the past looking at rigorous caloric restriction
benefits that demonstrated that people in isocaloric nutritional ketosis got
most of the benefits of the restriction group (while not having the misery
long term caloric restriction).

------
ndb6000
I enjoyed this recent interview with Valter Longo on the subject of fasting:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6PyyatqJSE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6PyyatqJSE)

They discuss underlying mechanics and various clinical trials and much more...

------
jlebrech
our genetic makeup has adapted to famine and fast, if you don't fast whatever
hormones we create during fast are missing from the body.

~~~
maykr
That's it - fasting makes sense from evolutionary biology standpoint - the
food was scarce up until modern era, and thus the obesity was quite uncommon.
If one was lucky enough to get a meal, that could be his only meal in a week
or a few days at least - that's exactly the fasting cycles that were part of
the everyday life.

------
pbkhrv
Mainstream religions have been advocating various forms of fasting for
centuries. Thank you science for explaining why and how it works.

~~~
nurettin
AFAIK this article doesn't suggest getting dehydrated at any point. That's
just evil.

------
billytables
Harper's ran an article on this topic in 2012, including a focus on fasting
during chemo. It's paywalled, however:
[http://harpers.org/archive/2012/03/starving-your-way-to-
vigo...](http://harpers.org/archive/2012/03/starving-your-way-to-vigor/)

------
tuxidomasx
It seems to me that the hardest part about fasting is tolerating the cravings
for food.

Do people who fast resort to cheating the hunger urge (prescription pills,
foods with no nutritional content, etc)? I know there is a well known and
highly-available recreational drug that works extremely well for suppressing
the urge to eat.

~~~
kolinko
+1. Also, What's often ignored is that many people have inherent problems with
hunger, for example due to an untreated adhd.

------
ABCLAW
I have practiced intermittent and prolonged fasting in the past (for
approximately 6 months each), but had to stop on account of dramatically
increased irritability, especially surrounding planned fast breaking meals.

How do successful fasting practitioners manage the impact on their mood and
restraint?

~~~
hasperdi
I feel irritable when I am hungry. I heard that irritability is from the
swinging blood sugar level and Ketogenic diet helps in reducing the swing.

This is interesting to me, but I have not tried any of this.

Maybe anyone with more Ketogenic diet experience/knowledge willing to share
his/her experience?

~~~
ABCLAW
I would be interested in hearing more about similar experiences too!

------
jsudhams
In south india, we do intermittent fasting i.e. eat in night and the till next
afternoon 1 PM do not eat anything. This is on no moon day + another day for
most people who follow. But there are people who do this for 2 to 3 days a
week.

------
kxs
I'm very interested in fasting. I have been doing IF for 4 months and it works
out great. Has anyone experience with prolonged fasting (3 days+) and auto
immune diseases, specifically Alopecia?

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xchip
Chill out, this is about "fasting on stem cells", not on people :)

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markfluffalo
If I don't eat every 4 hours I turn into a broken aggressive mess!

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m3kw9
Aside from the "science" that happens inside the body, has there. Has there
been an overall study where you compare the overall life span of a twin? If
you are fasting like a 3rd worlder, their mortality rate seem high.

~~~
tbihl
If you're comparing a lifespan to someone in developing areas, meal tempo is
probably no more than a footnote compared to inaccessibility of medical care,
safe birth, safe food and water, occupational hazards, destabilization and
violence, etc.

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stupidcar
...in mice.

