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Ash Wednesday inaugurates a season of fasting for many Christians. Nowadays those fasts vary widely; perhaps you aren’t reading this post because you are abstaining from social media for Lent. Still, the classics endure for a reason, and now scientists are exploring how cutting back on food affects our bodies. The latest study found that fasting had several health benefits including weight loss, lower blood pressure and healthier blood sugar levels. Or perhaps more precisely, a “fast-mimicking diet” provided those benefits; subjects ate normally most days but for 5 consecutive days each month they ate low-carb, low-protein foods high in unsaturated fat and totaling 700-1100 calories per day.
[Read more…] about Science Corner: Get Healthy Fast