The discovery was made in the 1930s by Cornell University staff.
Scientists have confirmed that a discovery about the benefits of fasting, made in the 1930s by Cornell University staff, may actually be effective.
New experiments based on an old study were conducted by scientists Sebastian Brandhorst and Walter Longo of the University of Southern California. Specifically, they subjected rodents and chimpanzees to interval starvation.
As a result, it turned out that when the number of calories consumed is reduced, the longevity gene is activated. It is thanks to this gene that animals are able to survive and continue their lineage in times of starvation.
In the course of the experiment, it was discovered that the lack of food in rodents leads to autophagy or "self-eating" of cells. First, they begin to devour diseased cells, and then they burn up their fat reserves.
As a result, test animals kept on a low-calorie diet and given a complex of vitamins and minerals doubled their lifespan.