Once upon a time, people fasted during Lent but few still do today. Yet from Jesus Christ to Gandhi, people have been hailing the virtues of fasting since the dawn of time. Research shows that fasting regularly helps prevent some serious diseases such as diabetes and arthritis. But skipping meals is neither popular nor easy: on the contrary, resisting hunger pangs is extremely difficult.
While life expectancy is increasing in Western countries, cases of diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cancer are increasing, and the use of medication has exploded.Does this mean that in order to live to a ripe age we are condemned to swallow more and more drugs? What if there was another way? For half a century, in Russia, Germany and the U.S., doctors and biologists have been exploring a different therapeutic approach: fasting. The results are amazing.
