Fasting is as old as humanity itself. While our ancestors were naturally forced to endure long periods without food due to its scarcity, in today’s society, fasting is often driven by cultural, spiritual, or medical reasons. But does fasting also prove beneficial from a longevity perspective? Let’s first examine the types of fasting. In Western culture, there is the Lenten fast, in the East, there is Ramadan, where Islam abstains from pork, as does the Torah in the Jewish religion. Among Hindus, the choice to omit citrus fruits, specific roots, or meat depends on the deity one worships. Fasting is common in all religions to cleanse both the body and mind. Medical fasting primarily focuses on intestinal health. Popular forms include therapeutic fasting according to F.X. Mayr or Buchinger, both aiming for detoxification of the intestines. There’s also pseudo-fasting, water fasting, or various juice cleanses—all with the common goal of significant calorie reduction over days. Those who have experienced such regimes report revitalizing effects after days of abstinence, feeling energized and witnessing extraordinary detoxification through unique bowel movements. In contrast to these extended fasting methods, there’s also time-restricted fasting, known as intermittent fasting. The forefather of intermittent fasting is Buddha. Contrary to the popular image of the portly Buddha statues, Siddhartha Gautama, meaning “The Awakened,” was slender. His Dharma, a comprehensive work of over 20,000 pages, regulates Buddhist monasticism, but unlike the Bible, it contains no instructions on non-compliant foods or fasting times. Instead, it suggests eating only from sunrise to noonand nothing more after that. This is strictly forbidden for monks. Siddhartha, according to records, lived to be 80 years old around 500 BC, an impressive age for the time. Does this suffice as evidence that intermittent fasting is a longevity method? Probably not.
Firstly, it’s worth noting that intermittent fasting has just as many variations as traditional fasting. There’s day-specific intermittent fasting, alternating fasting, where days of fasting alternate with normal eating, and time-specific intermittent fasting, such as “One Meal a Day,” “Dinner-Cancelling,” or the 16:8 method. Intermittent fasting is not about temporary calorie reduction but about a time-limited zero-diet, prohibiting eating and allowing only the consumption of non-caloric beverages. Intermittent fasting provides the opportunity to make fasting a part of daily life, potentially turning it into a longevity measure. Let’s delve into the effects of intermittent fasting more closely. When examining scientific studies, it becomes apparent that there’s a general consensus that intermittent fasting is healthy and may even extend life, but a large-scale study providing irrefutable evidence is still lacking. Nonetheless, numerous indications support the idea that intermittent fasting has a positive impact on a cellular level. The recent wave of interest in intermittent fasting in the U.S. was sparked by a 2018 study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As humans age, the ability of stem cells to renew in the intestine steadily diminishes. MIT scientists demonstrated a significant improvement in stem cell renewal at the cellular level in fasting mice, describing it as a “dramatically improved” process, especially in combating cancer cells and other infections in the intestine. The Max Planck Institute for the Biology of Aging in Cologne took an even closer look. They discovered that fasting stimulates an enzyme that could be a key to longevity. Molecular biologists used fish, which typically only live for six months, dividing them into two groups. One group was subjected to intermittent fasting, while the other was fed normally. The intermittently fasting fish lived one-third longer than their well-nourished counterparts. Genetic analysis revealed that fasting stimulates the AMPK enzyme, where AMPK stands for AMP-activated protein kinase. During fasting, the AMPK gene detects an energy deficit, activating survival mode. In this external deprivation phase, cells search for “internal nutrition,” starting autophagy, a process where cells consume parts of themselves. This self-cleaning mechanism is apparently additionally stimulated by fasting. Harmful or non-functional proteins and cell organelles are discarded and broken down into amino acids, which are then made available to the body again. Current scientific findings reinforce the suspicion that intermittent fasting may extend life and positively influence health on many levels. Like many longevity methods, it seems to involve stepping out of the comfort zone and reaping the benefits that follow. Once intermittent fasting is integrated into one’s life, it becomes a relatively simple method to extend the health span in old age.
The 16:8 formula, abstaining from eating for sixteen hours a day and consuming two meals within the remaining eight hours, appears to yield the desired effect. Whether eating in the first or second half of the day, as Buddha did, is inconsequential. For sociable individuals less inclined towards asceticism, it may be preferable to eat in the latter half of the day and skip breakfast. After all, breakfast literally means “breaking the fast,” and dinner holds greater significance in our society, providing an opportunity to reflect on the day during a communal meal. Start your day unburdened, relish the hunger until lunchtime, and take pleasure in knowing that you are doing something positive for your health and longevity every day.
