As Antonio Valenzuela says, author of the prologue and colleague at Alienta Editorial, intermittent fasting is so overused that it seems more like endless fasting. In a society of extremes, where it is either praised as a metabolic miracle or demonized as a health hazard, a new work comes to shed light with scientific evidence. The Intermittent Fasting Revolution, by Mark P. Mattson (Rochester, Minnesota, United States, April 1, 1957) aims to guide in this habit in an accessible way and explain its benefits after laboratory experimentation.
This fasting guru may not have thousands of followers on social media, but he dedicates all his energy to research and is among the most cited neuroscientists in the world. An Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, Mattson has dedicated his career to exploring how metabolic factors influence brain aging and the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. He has about 900 publications and 200,000 citations and has received numerous awards, such as the Metropolitan Life Foundation Award and the Zenith Fellows from the Alzheimer's Association. Additionally, he is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
From his new book, written in the midst of the pandemic, it is interesting the role he attributes to intermittent fasting in reducing the benefits of industries (pharmaceuticals and ultra-processed foods) that discourage the adoption of a healthy lifestyle through the ubiquitous marketing of their products. "It is free and, in fact, it can save you money and time."