Active Low-Carber Forums - Intermittent Fasting: Health benefits -- mechanisms?

Active Low-Carber Forums (http://forum.lowcarber.org/index.php)

- LC Research/Media (http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=4)

- - Intermittent Fasting: Health benefits -- mechanisms? (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=481771)

Intermittent Fasting: Health benefits -- mechanisms?

A study in Cell:

Quote:

Fasting-stimulus responses are key to the longevity response; however, the mechanisms that sense and transduce the fasting stimulus remain largely unknown. Moreover, we have identified important transcriptional targets of these signaling pathways, which function in IF-induced longevity.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/scien...211124713000053

Unknown, but maybe all the puzzle pieces are likely there; waiting to be put together?

Technical warning :)

A gene: In humans is composed of approximately 8446 base pairs of A-T, G-C, and (generally) codes for one protein. The structure of a gene consists of many elements of which the actual protein coding sequence is often only a small part. These include DNA regions that are not transcribed, up to 98% of our DNA may be junk or regulatory DNA, as well as untranslated regions of the RNA.

A promoter: The cauliflower mosaic virus CaMV (35S) gene is an "always on" promoter used to genetically modify plants [by activating added genes] in horticulture.

Quote:

Different types of promoters, including those that require specific environmental signals in order to switch “on”, are found throughout the natural world. Promoters can be about 100–1000 base pairs long.

A promoter is the main regulatory portion of a gene. The simplest analogy is that a promoter is a “switch” that [epigenetically*] turns a gene “on” or “off.” It is the portion of the gene where cellular machinery binds before transcribing the DNA blueprint into a useful RNA. There are different types of RNA that may be transcribed, including messenger RNA’s (mRNAs) that encode useful proteins and regulatory RNAs that mediate gene silencing. But, the first step is always binding of an RNA polymerase to the gene’s promoter. No promoter, no useful RNAs or proteins!

https://gmoanswers.com/ask/what-pro...what-does-it-do

The key here is "promoters" and "enhancers" are critical parts of the complex machinery of a cell and can be enabled by outside stimuli in the biological environment.

So I submit "fasting stress" or (natural nutrient energy unavailability) is likely one of these.

Quote:

Promoters represent critical elements that can work in concert with other regulatory regions (enhancers, silencers, boundary elements/insulators) to direct the level of transcription of a given gene. A promoter is induced in response to changes in abundance or conformation of regulatory proteins in a cell, which enable activating transcription factors to recruit RNA polymerase.

Biol Chem. 2006 Feb 24;281(8):4856-66.

Epigenetic factors:

Quote:

Epigenetic mechanisms are affected by several factors and processes including development in utero and in childhood, environmental chemicals, drugs and pharmaceuticals, aging, and diet. DNA methylation is what occurs when methyl groups, an epigenetic factor found in some dietary sources, can tag DNA and activate or repress genes.

Histone modification occurs when the binding of epigenetic factors to histone “tails” alters the extent to which DNA is wrapped or coiled around histone proteins and limits the mechanical availability of genes in the DNA to be activated. All of these factors and processes can have an effect on people’s health; possibly resulting in cancer, autoimmune disease, mental disorders, or diabetes among other illnesses.

The standard definition of epigenetics requires these alterations to be heritable, either in the progeny of cells or organisms. The term also refers to the changes themselves: functionally relevant changes to the genome that do not involve a change in the nucleotide sequence. -- NIH

A Summary: Fasting may indeed activate "survival genes" all humans possess that are seldom -- if ever -- expressed?

Agreed. Food or lack of is and has always been part of the "environment," the principle of epigenetics. I've referenced it before: Biology of Belief 10th Anniversary Edition by Bruce Lipton is an excellent summary of how powerful our environment is to our mental and physical health and well being. We have the ability to create and control our environment in several ways. Something as simple as creating our attitude and daily outlook has significant health implications.

Thanks GRB!

Ill recommend it to my DB who has Parkinson's:

Quote:

Quite literally changed my life. My Parkinson's disease symptoms went from miserable to a mild annoyance. Tenth anniversary edition has valuable information that should not be missed -- verified Amazon customer.

Thanks GRB. I just borrowed it from the library.

:thup:

:)

Quote:

Intermittent fasting is one of the most effective dietary restriction regimens that extend life span in C. elegans and mammals.

Glucose restriction is very effective in C. elegans. In mammals, neither IF nor glucose restriction (i.e. low-carb) is conclusive with regards to longevity. The most prominent effect is on overall health. And here, low-carb works best.

OK, so the premise is some form of restriction to increase lifespan. In a mechanical sense, this makes sense. The less often we use a machine (or the less stress for a continuously running machine), the longer it remains functional. In a biological sense, it doesn't. To wit, chaperone-mediate autophagy, whereby an energy substrate - ketones - stimulate clean-up of what would otherwise decrease lifespan. The more ketones, the less crud, the longer lifespan. Or at least, if lifespan was a function of crud. It's not. Health is a function of crud.

OK, so the premise isn't just lifespan, it's up-to-maximum lifespan. What controls maximum lifespan? As far as anybody knows, we don't know. Whatever these experts are looking at ain't it, cuz it's all about health - up-to-maximum lifespan - not about absolute lifespan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GRB5111

Thanks Rob. I looked into and read Bruce's 10th Anniversary Biology of Belief. Enjoyable read. It reminded me of Dr. Joe Dispenza's Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One, which is a natural follow-up, and also delves deeper into the quantum field. Downloaded a few of his meditations and they're good ($5).

:thup:

:)

s93, glad you enjoyed it. It confirms that being mindful is very powerful in many different and positive ways.