Intermittent Fasting is a Natural, Effective Treatment for Asthma

Dr. James Johnson wrote the book, The Alternate Day Diet. His website (link below) calls it the Up Day Down Day Diet.

His regimen is different from mine. He alternates calendar days, eating as much as you want one day, and 20% to 50% of your maintenance calories the next. I'll post my experience with his method later, but for now I want to focus on his results with treating asthma patients. The following is from his website (http://www.johnsonupdaydowndaydiet.com/html/diet-science.html#the-asthma-study):

The Asthma Study

Dr. Johnson conducted the first study that examined the ability of alternate-day calorie restriction to treat symptoms of disease in humans. He selected asthma because it is associated with obesity and inflammation, and its symptoms are very easy to observe and monitor. Twenty overweight people with asthma were chosen to participate in the study. Every other day, they were allowed to eat as they normally would, and on alternate days they were instructed to consume no more than 20 percent of their normal caloric intake. Only one person was not able to comply with the diet. At the end of the eight-week study, the participants had lost, on average, about 8 percent of their initial body weight. They all experienced a drastic improvement in their asthma symptoms as well as increased energy. In addition, their nitrotyrosine levels, a measure of oxidative stress and an indicator of heart disease, decreased by 90 percent, and their levels of TN-alpha, a marker of inflammation, were reduced by two-thirds.

By demonstrating the anti-inflammatory effect of alternate-day calorie restriction on asthma sufferers, Dr. Johnson believes that this diet has the potential to have profound effects on other diseases associated with inflammation and aging, including heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.

The asthma study also showed that many of the health benefits of alternate-day dieting take effect in a very short period of time. Although the study lasted eight weeks, most of the improvement took place in the first two to three weeks of the study. Dr. Johnson believes that the SIRT1 gene is the reason why the diet is so effective, and SIRT1 levels are increased very quickly after the gene is activated.

In his book, The Alternate Day Diet, Dr. Johnson devotes chapter 4 to this study, and gives the actual measurable, clinical results. It's amazing, really. Who would have thought you could achieve a near complete remission in symptoms, with no medication? But that is essentially what happened, simply by restricting the patients' food intake every other day.

Even for those of us without asthma, the inflammation reducing effects of alternate day fasting can have profound effects. In my own case, it's rheumatoid arthritis I struggle with, and in my next post I'll talk about the effects of IF so far in my effort to beat this disease.

Bon repos,
Tom
http://eatingandfasting.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/intermittent-fasting-is-natural.html

How fasting could help you slow down the ageing process

By Roger Dobson UPDATED: 22:00, 13 February 2010 Fasting every other day may be a way to live longer as well as lose weight. It may also lower the risk of conditions such as heart disease and cancer, as well as ease symptoms of chronic ailments. Research suggests that calorie restriction, especially alternate-day fasting, has effects beyond those of simple weight loss, and a trial at the University of California has been investigating the long-term effects of fasting. Empty plate

'After eight weeks of alternate-day fasting we saw that bad cholesterol was down, along with reductions in triglycerides [fat found in blood], blood pressure and heart rates,' says Dr Krista Varady, who led a small study on overweight and the obese at the University of Illinois, Chicago. 'And since these are all key risk indicators of heart disease, it may not only help people lose weight but also help them decrease their risk of coronary events.' Alternate-day fasting involves a 'feeding day', where there are no restrictions, followed by a fasting day where around 25 per cent or less is consumed - the equivalent of a light lunch. Until relatively recently, most research on fasting has involved animal studies, but an increasing number of researchers are now looking at the effects in humans. In one study, at Louisiana State University, researchers examined the effects of fasting on overweight people with asthma. After eight weeks, they had lost eight per cent of their weight, asthma symptoms had improved significantly and bad cholesterol levels were down. 'The findings showed rapid and sustained beneficial effects of alternate-day fasting on the underlying disease in people with asthma,' says Dr James Johnson who led the study. Exactly how fasting works is not clear. One thought is that it has a beneficial effect on the distribution of stored fat in the body, affecting levels of fatty acids and hormones, including leptin, which is involved in regulating body weight and in metabolism. Fasting has also been shown to impact on insulin levels, body temperature and oxidative stress. One mechanism that has been investigated is that fasting triggers a gene whose job is to promote survival by protecting cells during times when food is scarce. Researchers say it helps repair the damage done by free radicals and prevents cells from dying prematurely, as well as lowering inflammation. 'The gene can also slow the ageing process by reducing the risk of age-related diseases and health threats,' says Dr Johnson. 'It can reduce markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, two primary causes of ageing. 'Studies show that individuals who live to be 100 years old have lower levels of oxidative stress than those who live to be 70.'.................................. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1250798/How-fasting-help-slow-ageing-process.html#ixzz2DvXoN9bR Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook