Intermittent fasting has emerged recently as a trendy weight loss avenue, but a study involving mice suggests it may hold serious cancer-fighting capabilities as well.
By John Anderer at Study Finds Photo Credit: Angiola Harry on Unsplash
“Previous research has shown that obesity increases the risk of a variety of cancers by negatively affecting how the body reacts to insulin levels and changing circadian rhythms,” says senior author Nicholas Webster, PhD, professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine in a university release.
“We were able to increase insulin sensitivity, reduce hyperinsulinemia, restore circadian rhythms and reduce tumor growth by simply modifying when and for how long mice had access to food.”
While these findings only involve mice, the potential avenues for human breast cancer prevention they open up are promising. The American Cancer Society estimates one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
