20 February 2012
People will be at a lower risk of having to book in a brain scan in their older years should they opt to make fasting a bigger part of their diets.
This is after a study conducted by the National Institutes for Aging (NIA) found that individuals who do not eat on alternate days have a greater chance to live longer.
According to the US researchers, fasting on and off has the ability to boost a person's brain power, as well as helping individuals to lose weight at the same time.
In order to reach these conclusions, the scientists fed animals the bare minimum of calories in their diet, with the results being that they lived twice as long as those adopting other food patterns.
Mark Mattson, head of the laboratory of neurosciences at the NIA, pointed out: "Dietery energy restriction extends lifespan and protects the brain and cardiovascular system against age-related disease."
In other developments regarding the brain, researchers at the University School of Medicine, in St Louis, have suggested that uninterrupted sleep can lower a person's chance of suffering from Alzheimer's.
Posted by Edward Bartel
Health News is provided by Adfero in collaboration with Spire Healthcare. Please note that all copy above is ©Adfero Ltd. and does not reflect views or opinions of Spire Healthcare unless explicitly stated. Additional comments on the page from individual Spire consultants do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of other consultants or Spire Healthcare.