The secret to a long and healthy life may not be skipping the occasional meal. Rather, it may be skipping a day of them and then gorging the next. Researchers at the University of Florida College of Medicine recently published a paper that showed that participants who cut their calorie intake by 75 percent one day and then ate 175 percent the next scored better on a variety of biochemical health markers.

The participants alternated days of undereating and overeating for three weeks. For the average male, that meant consuming 650 calories on fasting days and 4,550 calories on feasting days. Some participants also took antioxidant supplements, such as vitamins C and E.

At the end of the three weeks, the researchers found that beneficial blood markers tended to be higher in the feast/famine folks. Interestingly, those who took the antioxidant supplements showed lesser benefit.

The scientists speculate that the fasting days kicked up the body's immune system, applying a little oxidative stress, which prompted enhanced regeneration and repair of cells. Intermittent fasting also decreased insulin levels, indicating it may have an antidiabetic effect, as well.

More research is required, of course. The study was small, with just 24 participants. But it's something to chew on, assuming it's not a fasting day.

Body of Knowledge

Gums are renewed every one to two weeks.

Number Cruncher

A serving of Alice Springs chicken from Outback Steakhouse contains 759 calories, 423 from fat. It has 47 grams of total fat, or 72 percent of the recommended total fat intake for a 2,000-calorie daily diet, according to the Calorie Count database.

It also contains 205 milligrams of cholesterol (68 percent), 1,626 milligrams of sodium (68 percent), 13 grams of total carbohydrates (4 percent), 1 gram of dietary fiber, 10 grams of sugar and 74 grams of protein.

Counts

15.6: percentage of American children ages 6-19 with untreated dental caries (cavities).

23.7: percentage of American adults ages 20-64 with untreated dental caries.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Doc Talk

Frenulum: a fold of skin or mucous membrane that limits movement of a body part. For example, the midline fold under the tongue that attaches it to the floor of the mouth is called the frenulum linguae.

Mania of the Week

Phaneromania: an obsessive habit of biting one's nails.

Never Say Diet

The speed-eating record for Spam from the can is 6 pounds in 12 minutes, held by Richard LeFevre. Warning: Most of these records are held by professional eaters; the rest are held by people who really should find something better to do.

Medical History

This week in 1867, The Lancet published a paper by Joseph Lister, the first of a series of articles on his discovery of antiseptic surgery. Lister had applied Louis Pasteur's idea that the microorganisms causing gangrene might be controlled with chemical solutions. Because the use of carbolic acid (phenol) was known as a means of deodorizing sewage, Lister tested the results of using a solution of it for spraying instruments, surgical incisions and dressings. The result was a dramatic reduction in the gangrene.

Last Words

"Milan, what a beautiful place to die." — American actor John Carradine (1906-88), who died from multiple organ failure at Fatebenefratelli Hospital in Milan. Just hours before he was stricken, he had climbed the 328 steep steps of Milan's Gothic cathedral, the Duomo.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.