Intermittent fasting

Sophiemara

I'm sure this has been covered previously, but what does everyone think about intermittent fasting?

I've heard about Biochemist Dr Longo, who talks about his 12 years of longevity research of blue zone communities (live to a 100) that naturally fast intermittently..it has been found that this resets the immune system whereby good cells adapt and survive and bad cells effectively die off or starve.

It's also suppose to kick start the immune system so it actually works effectively and shown to be effective at warning off autoimmune diseases in mice and humans.

DATNY

I think it truly helps, but is not the magic bullet. If you take a look where are these blue zones are located, you will understand that too. None of them is in a major city area, they all are in rural areas, where people are still following a traditional lifestyle, very different than ours.

They are a lot more time outdoors, still get the bulk of their food locally, a good part being from family garden or livestock, they have a lot more face to face social time too. And, perhaps more important, they have a lot more non-threatening infections which are let to run their course without taking pills. All these are known to boost the immune system.

However, when serious disease strikes in these places it can bring quick death as these people have limited access or resources for treatment.

CBOK

I researched it and decided there was enough evidence for me to fast the day before and after my AC treatments. And after I'm done with chemo I think I'll probably do a mimicking fast every 6 weeks or so.

Sophiemara- I read your post on another thread where you discussed the lifestyle changes you're making after dx. You've been at it for a while and I'm new but you and I seem to be of the same mindset because I'm trying to make many of the same changes. Learning tai chi, getting back into pilates, adding a walking regimen, have started meditation practice, trying really hard to replace cosmetic/household items with less toxic crap, cutting out meat/processed food, and drinking 3-5 cups of green tea daily. I will not go quietly.

Anonymous

Sophiemara - I don't consider intermittent fasting alternative medicine. Here's a study on prolonged overnight fasting (that is a form of intermittent fasting) and BC recurrence.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27032109

CBOK - I fasted during chemo as well (2 1/2 days before and 24 hours after AC) and found it beneficial. There are several threads here on fasting during chemo if you want to read more.