Richard recommended: >fascinating reading: http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/full/17/9/1133 http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=156352 Grateful thanks, that was utterly inspiring :-) I had read about the life-prolonging effects of caloric restriction some years ago, but decided that it wasn't a route I wanted to follow as I have a horror of going below my ideal body weight. Until I read the studies you recommended, I had no idea that morbidity was reduced by such a significant amount (albeit in rodents) by this method as well. If IF can achieve the same results without caloric restriction, it seems to be the ideal way of eating to maximise health, though it might be somewhat harder to stick to one feast every two days instead of once a day! In the rat study it was rather alarming to read: "Blood pressure, heart rate and insulin levels similar to or greater than those obtained with regular physical exercise programs can be achieved by IF and by dietary supplementation with 2DG (a dietary supplement that inhibits glycolysis) by a mechanism involving stress responses." "2DG also offered neuronal protection to rats and mice." It conjures up yet another pharmaceutical shortcut in place of healthy activities. But any future human trials might expose unacceptable side effects. The researchers noted that: "continuous feeding of O.4% 2DG supplemented food reduced life span and so the rats were switched to an every-other-day 2DG feeding regimen" The good news, of course, as you pointed out, was that: "quite large and sustained reductions in BP, HR, insulin, and glucose levels in animals maintained on an IF regimen improves insulin sensitivity." In total; dramatic increases in life span, lowered BP, HR, insulin and glucose levels, increased insulin sensitivity, neuronal protection against epilepsy, strokes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and decreased serum IGF-1 leading to a reduced risk of cancer were all mentioned as effects of IF or caloric restriction. It was also interesting to note that the increased production of ketone bodies also had neuroprotective effects. Looking at the methods used to determine neuronal survival in the mice, it's not going to be possible to do human experiments on the effects of IF diets on neuronal degeneration etc. unless there is a less invasive way to measure such losses. Maybe there are imaging techniques that can do that, but until the studies are done, I imagine that people like us will be the pioneering lab rats, as usual ;-) Cheers, Persephone P.S. I noticed that the CB57BL/6 mice used in the Anson study are similar to humans in some ways; having 'high alcohol preference' and 'low number of stairs climbed' and a 'high preference for sweet tasting substances' as part of their inbred genetic inheritance!