The FastDay Forum

This is quite a small study but it focuses on the anti-aging benefits of fasting rather than weight loss which many of us here talk about. The study looked at cell repair during periods of fasting; ie when they go into survival mode, removing unhealthy mitochondria and replacing them over time and reducing the production of free radicals over the longer term. The cells made more copies of the gene SIRT3 as well as a significant decrease in circulating insulin.

They ran the experiment twice; the second time taking the antioxidants C and E. Those taking the daily supplement were relatively sheltered from oxidative stress and did not receive the same benefits from fasting as from the first experiment without antioxidants. Their cells did not respond in the same way by increasing their natural defences and improving their sensitivity to insulin and other stress signals.

A very poor summary but in conclusion, low levels of environmental stress on our 'repair' days might be good for us. Detail is here. http://theconversation.com/feast-then-f ... ress-38808

I would live to know the exact kind of vitamin C and E administered, was it synthetic ascorbic acid, or a food form vitamin C? If non-synthetic, does that mean it would be better to avoid fruit on Fast days?

barbarita wrote: I would live to know the exact kind of vitamin C and E administered, was it synthetic ascorbic acid, or a food form vitamin C? If non-synthetic, does that mean it would be better to avoid fruit on Fast days?

Interesting question. Looks like the authors are answering questions on the original posting. Might be worth asking them.

Thanks karen,i read this last night! Some theories of why people like myself get ill with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E) is that the mitochondria doesnt " spark" as it should in each and every cell of the body. I felt encouraged after reading this article
@barbarita raises an interesting question,specially for me..
Before 5:2 i hadnt eaten an orange for years,just didnt appeal,tho most fruits i ate abundantly.
Since 5:2 i've craved oranges and now eat them daily
Maybe i need to cut down, and cut out altogether on FDs x
Ps i hope you enjoy Easter back home - hope the weather improves for you x

Very interesting.
I tend not to take vit/min supplement etc on fast days, nor eat fruit. Perhaps this should also happen the day before a fast to ensure a 'clear run' through the fast?

There are more and more studies showing supplementation in healthy people generally leads to earlier mortality, with the exception of calcium supplements in women. Now if you're tested and shown to be low in a nutrient, like D, by all means supplement under a doctor's supervision and don't worry about it. But they're showing vitamin supplements are at best a waste of money. At worse, they can kill you. One hypothesis is that antioxidents reduce free radicals - and the food of free radicals is, among other things, precancerous cells. Coincidentally, the man who pushed for heavy supplementation, especially with vitamin C, died of cancer.

I have stopped all supplementation except for D, which I am low on and calcium.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archi ... ts/277947/

I have seen arguments against calcium supplementation, for example a lecture by Dr Jason Fung on YouTube. I do supplement (not calcium) in small doses because I am not convinced we are getting even RDAs in today's depleted soils. I recall an issue of the Food Programme on BBC Radio 4, going back some years ago now in which it compared levels of minerals in vegetables today with those of 40 years previously, and the falls in some cases were nearly 50 %. Buying organic or growing one's own would be preferable but you can't always.

I think levels of supplementation matter, too: taking 100% of RDA vitamin C is different from taking 10-20-fold that amount, which is what is present in some C-only pills. If I'm not mistaken, in this study, it's about 10x RDA.

I do take a multivitamin and mineral tab on fast days. I'm hedging a bet that I don't get enough nutrients on those days, and also trying to stop feeling run down and stop the nightly leg cramps. I might do better just to take B vitamins and the right minerals, but for now this is helping...

MaryAnn wrote: ...
I do take a multivitamin and mineral tab on fast days. I'm hedging a bet that I don't get enough nutrients on those days, and also trying to stop feeling run down and stop the nightly leg cramps. I might do better just to take B vitamins and the right minerals, but for now this is helping...

This older post (re: magnesium) may alleviate cramps:

post198278.html?hilit=magnesium#p198278

It's a tricky subject with plenty of info either way.
In the morning I take curcumin, vit D, fish oil, co-enzyme Q10, Perfectil vit/min for hair & skin, and loratadine, and in the evening there's a magnesium and glucosamine.
They sound a lot but are all for specific problem areas and do appear to help me. Perhaps I should rest the Perfectil?
No, I don't rattle!
Through March I have 5:2 fasted but ended the month higher than I started plus constipation, my normal side effect of 24 hour fasting.
So, April, here we are and this month I'll go with fasting when I'm not hungry until I am, and hope for the best I suppose :0)

I also take a multivitamin and mineral tablet every day as it seems the easiest way to get the mineral content as I think that's where we make get deficiencies with modern farming methods. I just checked and most of the vitamins are at 100% RDA , hopefully that's not too much.
I also take extra magnesium at night - to help me sleep, to help with neuropathic pain in my feet and to combat constipation which is definitely related to fasting for me. After a recent post about magnesium I am alternating magnesium oxide and magnesium citrate as it seems there are different actions depending of how soluble it is