A growing number of studies have shown that intermittent fasting can improve metabolism, lose weight and prolong life, enhance anti-cancer effects, and delay aging diseases. A new Italian study published in the journal Cancer Discovery found that a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD, a periodic intermittent fasting regimen that mimics continuous fasting) is beneficial for improving immunity and enhancing anticancer efficacy in cancer patients.
A research team from the FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology in Italy and the University of Milan conducted a study on the safety and biological efficacy of FMD in combination with standard anticancer treatments in 101 cancer patients. The researchers found a significant reduction in circulating immunosuppressive myeloid subsets and an increase in activated CD8+ T cells in the patients tested. Notably, both effects are beneficial for anticancer therapy. This indicated that the FMD diet enhanced the anti-cancer immunity of the participants. (Jin also)