It’s Sunday Funday circa 300,000 years ago, our homo-sapien ancestors all gather around the stone table to decide where they’d like to go for dinner on this family evening. As usual the kids are being difficult – “We had berries and leaves last week” – causing mom to remind them to “live off their fat” … Not much has changed, huh? OK, it’s very likely this wasn’t a real conversation back then (I assume they had some verbal communication-maybe not), the reality was, they ate when they ate. There were no schedules, no three meals a day, food was a job and everybody had to work. All organisms need a particular level of energy to sustain life, without it, they begin to dwindle and eventually die. The good news for our ancestors – food stores and restaurants of 300,000 years ago were always open. The (potentially) bad news- the food on the the shelves are a direct byproduct of an individual (or groups) ability to hunt and gather. It’s safe to say that there were no reservations for bottomless brunch and prolonged periods without energy was the likely reality. Damn, the struggle was real, like actually real!

What we may classify as a fast today was considered “normal life” back then. The earliest signs of farmed agriculture weren’t until about 9,500 BC (or 11,500 years ago) and crops such as rice weren’t domesticated until 6,500 BC. A long time ago, right? Not really, if we’re looking at a birds-eye view of earth (as we know it), it’s merely a spec.

If 10,000 years (or so) is a spec, what the hell is smaller then that (apparently this is a larger discussion that I will not embark on)? Whatever “that” is, I’d say that’s where we’re at today. Focusing on the last 150 years in particular, this is where the food landscape has changed dramatically. “Fresh” is old school, give me what that silly rabbit is eating. This “modern” processed era has certainly added an interesting wrinkle to the innate biological processes of …ummm Us! This abundance of specially formulated foods, all-in-one mixtures consisting of a high-sugar/high-fat (a combo that you don’t find in ANY foods from nature) one-two punch are a commonality. All in the midst of 150 years!

With this, we’re seeing an onset of new diseases that have yet to burden previous eras, a new age of sickness that we’ve yet to experience, one which is NOT causing immediate demise, but a prolonged and steady downfall. Some point-out this is just the cost of doing business (or of getting old), they argue that these conditions are new to us because of our significantly extended lifespan and scientific advancements. Either way, these chronic conditions are having a profound impact on our quality of life(healthspan) rather than its duration(Lifespan). Generally we seem to be living –on average – to the same age, but the number of truly healthy years begin dwindling from the 40 year mark. Not exactly ideal….

Enter Fasting

Many, many, many factors (known and unknown) are at play here. One area that’s been showing promise is…Fasting – the willing abstinence or reduction from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. There are two types that are typically practiced present day, Intermittent and Prolonged. Intermittent fits more under the category of TRE (Time Restricted Eating), a practice that partitions your day(or week) into an eating window and fasting window. Prolonged is an extended fast, typically spanning at least 48 hours. Both have shown interesting results in the areas of weight loss, biological efficiency and repair, increased longevity and disease prevention. For those who practice it for the biological benefits, it’s an attempt to leverage our bodies naturally evolved mechanisms to repair and rejuvenate from the inside-out. Mimicking the “likely” eating habits of our ancestors, when food abundance was not a commonality. Proponents argue that evolution takes time, that we’re biologically programed to operate optimally while experiencing prolonged periods without food. In theory, it makes pretty damn good sense.

I’d say it’s a safe bet that the majority of Americans eat something within 2 hours of waking-up and going to bed. That assumption means most folks naturally participate in a daily fast of six-to-ten hours, without even knowing it. Significantly less than our ancestors days of nutrient deprivation, and I’ll add that during our 12-18 hour feeding window we’re not consuming the most nutrient dense foods. What’s the byproduct of overeating and a diet of highly processed foods? Your looking at it – 2018 Western Society!

Fasting seems to be utilized by two categories of people, those aiming to increase longevity and those looking to lose weight/cut fat (this tends to be the majority). The research has been promising. Suggesting (in animal models and small clinical studies) that fasting can play a role in preventing, delaying, or reversing modern era disease. With scholarly publications showing it’s abilities in:

Reducing Insulin Resistance and Risk of Type II Diabetes (1)

Reducing Inflammation and Oxidative Stress (2)

Inducing our biological Recycling process – Known as Autophagy (3)

Preventing Cancer and Aiding chemotherapy treatments (4,5)

Increasing Longevity (6)

Although all promising, much more research is required in this field. Intermittent and certainly prolonged fasting can effect each individual in a unique way. Top scientists in the field suggest discussing all diet modifications with your doctors before embarking on any fasting program. The studies continue to be ongoing, and this topic certainly does represent one of our top interests as a species…Survival.

There are simply too many factors at play to even attempt to orchestrate your life to centenarian (100+ year olds) status. What’s actually important is optimizing the years that you have, putting yourself in a position to never need to say “I guess that’s just because I’m getting old“, understanding that even though you don’t have “Final Say” on the duration of your life, you certainly do on quality. Optimizing your operations for the time that your storefront is open is the name of the game. Fasting is just another possible tool in the toolbox.

More to come…. but first, I have to do some research to see if there’s a correlation between writing about “NOT Eating” and Ghrelin production. My Brain says YES…

