The Fasting Molecule By Mrs Vera West

     Can molecules fast? I do not know, none have ever spoke to me about their inner feelings and emotions, if, according to panpsychism (the metaphysical position that mind is fundamental in reality), they have them:
  https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/panpsychism/

     But, we do know that people fast, and it is damn good too:
  https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/fasting-molecule-delays-vascular-aging-309380

“A molecule produced during fasting or calorie restriction has anti-aging effects on the vascular system, which could reduce the occurrence and severity of human diseases related to blood vessels, such as cardiovascular disease, according to a study led by Georgia State University.

“As people become older, they are more susceptible to disease, like cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Ming-Hui Zou, senior author of the study, director of the Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine at Georgia State and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Molecular Medicine. “Age is the most important so-called risk factor for human disease. How to actually delay aging is a major pathway to reducing the incident and severity of human disease.

“The most important part of aging is vascular aging. When people become older, the vessels that supply different organs are the most sensitive and more subject to aging damage, so studying vascular aging is very important. This study is focused on vascular aging, and in old age, what kind of changes happen and how to prevent vascular aging.”

In this study, the research team explores the link between calorie restriction (eating less or fasting) and delaying aging, which is unknown and has been poorly studied. The findings are published in the journal Molecular Cell. The researchers identified an important, small molecule that is produced during fasting or calorie restriction conditions. The molecule, β-Hydroxybutyrate, is one type of a ketone body, or a water-soluble molecule that contains a ketone group and is produced by the liver from fatty acids during periods of low food intake, carbohydrate restrictive diets, starvation and prolonged intense exercise.

“We found this compound, β-Hydroxybutyrate, can delay vascular aging,” Zou said. “That’s actually providing a chemical link between calorie restriction and fasting and the anti-aging effect. This compound can delay vascular aging through endothelial cells, which line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. It can prevent one type of cell aging called senescence, or cellular aging.”

     Obviously, any program of fasting needs to be cleared with one’s doctor, as there could be other medical problems, if for example one has various diseases. Still, if given the medical ok, this could be a help for many overweight people, because we simply eat too much. Our cave man and women bodies are designed for storing energy reserves when hard times come and there are no sabre tooth tigers to wrestle to the ground and strangle to death. Today we barely have to walk, let alone fight a bear, somewhat bare.