Unfortunately, up to 6.1 million American citizens suffer from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and there is still no cure for either illness. This being said, prevention is currently the best hope for avoiding these brain diseases. According to experts, fasting two times per week could be the best method to achieve this. The prolonged research was performed by Mark Mattson who is a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University and he emphasized his findings in a TED Talk video.
Dr. Mattson’s Speech Points
In his opinion, the promoted eating pattern of three meals per day plus snacks is not the healthiest variant and a lot of data backs up this claim. Namely, he thinks that the pressure placed on us to follow this pattern is because of the money involved, i.e. the food industry cannot profit if we skip breakfast. What’s more, the pharmaceutical company will also be unable to make money if people would intermittently fast, exercise regularly, and maintain an optimal health. What they need are unhealthy and uninformed people.
According to a study performed on mice, fish, flies, and worms, as Dr. Mattson puts it, restriction of calories is known to prolong the lifespan and minimize the chance for age-related chronic illnesses. Intermittent fasting has the power to decrease the oxidative stress and metabolic rate and to better the insulin sensitivity too.
Moreover, fasting is beneficial for the brain because it stimulates neurocircuits and this betters the growth of neurons and the formation of synapses.
How to Fast the Right Way?
It is important to mention that you cannot benefit from a fast that happens after you have spent a whole day with 3+ meals.
