Results of a recent study in mice suggest that skipping meals may help to reduce the risk of developing type II diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Dr Mark P Mattson and colleagues at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore placed mice on a diet where they fasted for one day and were allowed to eat as much food as they wanted the next. Another group of mice were allowed to eat freely all the time, while a third group were fed each day but followed a calorie restricted diet. After following the diet for 5 months the mice were then given a neurotoxin that selectively damages nerve cells that are important for memory and learning - the same cells that are destroyed by Alzheimer's disease. Results showed that the toxin damaged significantly fewer cells in the mice who fasted on alternate days than it did in the other study groups. Furthermore, blood tests showed that mice that fasted had lower insulin levels than the other mice, thus suggesting that they were less likely to develop diabetes. Mattson suspects that skipping meals may protect nerve cells by placing them under mild stress, which in turn helps them become better at responding to stress, such as that caused by the neurotoxin. Mattson stresses that people should not start fasting every other day, however he does say that the findings appear to suggest that skipping the odd meal now and then "may be beneficial."

SOURCE/REFERENCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2003;10.1073/pnas.1035720100.