Fasting for 24 hours between meals can lower the risk of diseases

Researchers have discovered that leaving an entire day between meals slashes levels of harmful inflammation in the body by increasing the production of an important fatty acid - reducing the risk of conditions such as diabetes and Alzheimer's.

Boffins suspect that leaving longer amounts of time between meals allows the body to perform the maintenance required to keep cells healthy, a process that is usually interrupted by people topping up their blood sugar by snacking.

Clare Bryant, from the University of Cambridge's Department of Medicine, said: "This provides a potential explanation for how changing our diet - in particular by fasting - protects us from inflammation, especially the damaging form that underpins many diseases related to a Western high-calorie diet.

"It's too early to say whether fasting protects against diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease as the effects of arachidonic acid are only short-lived, but our work adds to a growing amount of scientific literature that points to the health benefits of calorie restriction."

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