#41

I’m pretty skeptical of the lengthy fasting routines popularized by people like Attia. You’ll note that he constantly changes his routines and opinions on the matter, and it’s no surprise (and won’t be a surprise) when he discontinues this in the long-term. I think of these long-term fasts like short-term diet trends; people follow them for a bit because it’s new, they feel something different, and then over the long-term no one can keep it up.

You’ll notice Attia’s body change over the years, and I surmise that what was once effective for him when it came to fasting is no longer true given his current health. An extremely lean person fasting 5-7 days is very different from an overweight person fasting the same duration. The former I highly doubt will be able to keep it up for any extended period of time; meanwhile, the overweight person might be able to.

None of these studies are meant to address life-long adoption of these practices and their life-long effects.

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#42

I do a 3 day (so that’s approx. 84 hours, since I break the fast only on the morning of the 4th day) water fast every 2-3 months, depending on convenience. I started 2 years ago, and since have done 10 of them. So yes, I’ve seen many “health influencers” have changed their opinion on fasting, but for the moment, it seems to work for me. Yes it’s important to build muscle, but I don’t believe you need to be Arnold to age gracefully. I moderately exercise during the fast, and haven’t noticed a significant loss in strength or muscle mass. But, who knows, maybe if I wouldn’t fast I’d be the Incredible Hulk by now…

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#43

Any noticeable effect on biomarkers, blood pressure, etc?

#44

I did a blood panel a year ago, so about a year after I started fasting every 2 months. The results were quite good and (Morgan Levine’s PhenoAge 12 years younger than chronological age), but I don’t have a baseline, so who knows why that is so. I should do a new one soon.