Fasting has in fact grown so popular that it is featured as the cover story in The Scientist.
The Scientist: Running on EmptyIn recent years, scientists have learned that fasting might trigger not only weight loss and life-span extension - benefits that have long been linked to caloric restriction - but also boost the performance of the brain, the immune system, and organs central to metabolism, such as the liver and pancreas. Fasting, some researchers claim, can even alter the course of some diseases, from cancer and multiple sclerosis to diabetes and Alzheimer's.
