A major key to a long and healthy life: fasting or a ketogenic diet

[RunningDeer]

People often experience some discomfort when making a major dietary change. Symptoms such as fatigue, digestive changes, cravings, or disrupted sleep can occur as the body adapts to a new eating pattern.

One reason some people choose a sardine fast is to maintain a consistent protein intake while reducing carbohydrate consumption. Lower carbohydrate intake can reduce blood glucose fluctuations. For some, inflammation may aggravate symptoms related to chronic pain, arthritis, or previous injuries. And over time, chronic low-grade inflammation may contribute to aching joints, stiffness, and the gradual breakdown of tissue.

My experience is that most of the symptoms I associate with inflammation have nearly disappeared. This past weekend, I had a slice of my nephew's graduation cake. Within hours, my lower back pain returned and lingered for almost two days. While this doesn't prove the cake was the cause, the timing was noticeable enough that I'll be paying attention to how I feel after the Father's Day gathering in a couple of weeks. I plan to test it out.

People who follow ketogenic, carnivore, or other very-low-carbohydrate diets generally experience smaller post-meal increases in blood glucose and insulin than those eating higher-carbohydrate diets. Lower insulin levels may promote the release and use of stored body fat, including visceral fat around the abdomen.

It bears repeating that insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance develop through a complex interaction of genetics, body composition, diet, physical activity, and other lifestyle factors such as chronic stress, smoking, alcohol consumption, sleep quality and sleep duration.

Lastly as I mentioned earlier in the thread, there are alternatives to a sardine fast. Other protein choices include mackerel, beef, chicken, and eggs. I don't feel the need to do a sardine fast very often because I typically eat twice a day within a five- to six-hour window. That means I spend roughly 18 hours each day in a fasted state. This eating pattern reduces the frequency of blood glucose and insulin elevations compared with eating throughout the day.

[Kamikaze]

I only managed 36hours for the first period before I was too tempted to eat some ice cream and chocolates.
Had some food today. But gonna try again from now. I think I can manage quite the bit if I just don't give in to temptations with some goodies.

I didn't feel hungry at all and had no negative effect in those 36hours. I think I can mange that week with ease.
No more goodies are in the house now. So 36hours and then now a week to look forward to.

[RunningDeer]

Posted by Kamikaze (here)
I only managed 36hours for the first period before I was too tempted to eat some ice cream and chocolates.
Had some food today. But gonna try again from now. I think I can manage quite the bit if I just don't give in to temptations with some goodies.

I didn't feel hungry at all and had no negative effect in those 36hours. I think I can mange that week with ease.
No more goodies are in the house now. So 36hours and then now a week to look forward to.

Rah-rah, Kamikaze! Here's to successfully reaching your goal. Whether the journey is short or long, the real success is the decision to try, to experiment or simply to see what you're capable of.

[RunningDeer]

High insulin levels suppress autophagy is partly true. Insulin is one of several signals that tend to reduce autophagy, the cellular process that breaks down and recycles damaged components. Nutrient abundance generally suppresses autophagy, while nutrient deprivation tends to increase it.

(Updated post.)

[ThePythonicCow]

Posted by RunningDeer (here)
Nutrient abundance generally suppresses autophagy

Oh dear ... I must have an abundance of ancient cells in me .

[RunningDeer]

Posted by ThePythonicCow (here)

Posted by RunningDeer (here)
Nutrient abundance generally suppresses autophagy

Oh dear ... I must have an abundance of ancient cells in me .

Speaking of abundance of ancient cells initially, I added this post but reduced to a few sentences because Dr. Anthony Chaffee makes some strong claims.

You Can Get Autophagy Without Fasting (42 seconds)

• Anthony Chaffee MD
• 550K subscribers

Dr. Anthony Chaffee: "High insulin levels, suppress autophagy. It’s not fasting. It's not not eating. It's not eating carbohydrates and having low insulin.

So if you don't eat carbohydrates and you're going be going through autophagy all the time. Your body is constantly going to be recycling out these organelles, these mitochondria. And that's what they've shown in studies with Ketogenic diet. It's like a carnivore diet that after 3-4 months you have four times the number of mitochondria and they are four times as effective.

And now there are two professors of psychiatry from Harvard who independently come to the conclusion that ketogenic carnivore diets are the best medical treatment for mental health issues, such as major depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar, ADHD, schizophrenia, and even autism."

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=iZdHACFN2X4

[ThePythonicCow]

Posted by RunningDeer (here)
It's not eating carbohydrates and having low insulin.

That's my single biggest diet change of the last couple decades. If I had continued to feed myself the high carb diet that I consumed in my younger years because I thought it would "fuel my brain", I'm pretty sure I'd either be dead or a no longer functioning victim of Alzheimer's by now.

[RunningDeer]

As mentioned earlier, I stopped taking creatine because of an itchy tingle under my skin. (crawling ants) I tried creatine again for a couple of days beginning with a 3g twice a day with meals but I still had a histamine reaction. Fortunately, my daily intake of creatine is high due to my diet. And no more itching and no more bloated feeling.

This video came up in my feed this morning. For those short of time, I ran the transcript through AI with the instruction to summarize in three paragraphs.

Why I Don't Take Creatine (Doctor Explains) (11 minutes)

• Anthony Chaffee MD
• June 19, 2026
• 551K subscribers

Creatine is one of the most studied supplements in the world, but most people misunderstand how it works. Here’s what the research says about strength, water retention, brain health, and whether you even need it.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=AVwqKpa2kwg

The speaker, a doctor, explains that although creatine has scientific support for certain benefits, he personally chooses not to take it. He acknowledges that it can modestly improve strength and may offer neurological benefits, especially in older adults. Research also suggests it could help with recovery from brain injuries like concussions, likely because the brain has a high demand for creatine during stress or injury.

He argues that creatine’s muscle-building effects are often overstated. While it may slightly increase strength, he says studies do not consistently show meaningful increases in actual muscle growth, and some of the “gains” may be due to water retention rather than new muscle tissue. He also notes that most research is based on typical doses around 5 grams per day, with little clear evidence about the benefits or safety of much higher doses.

Finally, he suggests that many people may benefit more from improving their overall diet than supplementing creatine. Since creatine is mainly found in meat, he believes modern low-meat diets may lead to lower intake, and that meat also provides other important nutrients for brain and body health. He adds that he personally gets enough creatine from his high meat consumption, sees little performance benefit from supplementation, and is concerned about potential supplement contamination unless products are carefully tested.