Intermittent fasting improves cognitive abilities and increases life expectancy, said experts from the National Institute on Aging (US), a new study which was published in the journal The New England Journal of Medicine. According to scientists, calorie restriction while maintaining nutritional quality reduces the risk of various diseases. A number of studies have shown that such a diet provides benefits for brain health: the adaptive response of cells to interruptions in nutrition increases their ability to cope with stress and resist disease.

As experts noted during periods of calorie deficiency, the body begins to utilize old, dysfunctional cells and turns them into glucose, which is used to generate energy. The body begins to receive energy from fatty acids, which reduces the load on the cardiovascular system and musculoskeletal system.

Intermittent fasting reduces the risk of obesity and diabetes even more than a low-calorie diet, they said.