Intermittent fasting not only yields an awesome physique: it also extends the amount of time you get to live in said attractive body.
A 2009 study concluded two dietary protocols increase lifespan: calorie restriction and intermittent fasting. Even cooler? The fasting didn’t require calorie restriction overall to yield anti-aging benefits. Yep. The study (performed on Caenorhabditis elegans, a type of worm) found consuming maintenance calories still reaped the anti-aging benefits. So I can eat a substantial days worth of calories and still fight the hands of time? Pretty awesome. Furthermore, it found that “the extent of lifespan extension by IF in ad libitum was significantly larger than that in caloric restriction (66.5% versus 51.3%).” In other words, IF was BETTER than just calorie restriction for anti-aging. Even more awesome.
How does fasting increase longevity and slow down aging? While noting that the the exact mechanisms are unknown, the study found that fasting “increased resistance to heat and oxidative stress,” saying that “as animals age, the locomotion activity and muscle integrity decrease, showing impairment of cellular functions. IF markedly suppressed the age-dependent decline in these activities.”  Basically, fasting reduces damaging, aging stress within the cells, helping to keep our cells and muscles in good shape. Works for me!
Source: Honjoh, S., Yamamoto, T., Uno, M., & Nishida, E. (2009). Signalling through RHEB-1 mediates intermittent fasting-induced longevity in C. elegans. Nature, 457(7230), 726-30. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204557683?accountid=37892
