Fasting, willingly abstaining from food intake, has been used throughout history as therapy for various conditions. In science fasting is often referred to as dietary restriction and is defined as reduced food-intake without malnutrition. For nearly 100 years scientific experimentation in model organisms has not only shown the beneficial effects of fasting/dietary restriction on various conditions but also that it extends lifespan.
The problem with developing medical treatments based on fasting lies in the word “willingly.” To put it simply: We do not want to fast. In fact we, and probably every other organism on this planet, do about everything in its power to avoid fasting. Everyone that has tried to abstain from eating for just 24 hours knows how much willpower it takes.
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Two Scripps Research Institute scientists have won prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's New Innovator Awards. The recipients are Assistant Professor Michael Petrascheck of the institute's La Jolla, California campus, and Assistant Professor Brian Paegel of the Jupiter, Florida campus.
The awards, which were announced by NIH Director Francis S. Collins at the Seventh Annual NIH Director's Pioneer Award Symposium September 20, will provide each recipient with $1.5 million in research funding over five years.
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