[thedoc (OP)]

Jared Wainwright  asked the Naked Scientists:
   Hi Dr Chris,

I watched a BBC Horizon program called "eat fast and live longer".  The main principle was using fasting to reduce IGF-1 levels causing your cells to go into repair mode rather than dividing so much and thus reducing the risk of DNA damage.  I remember one of your previous podcasts talking about patients fasting whilst on chemotherapy as the normal cells slow down/repair whilst the cancerous cells carry on diving and taking in resources including the chemo drugs, so the it does sound feasible.  IGF1, I believe, is necessary for growth especially in adolescence, of which, I'm quite sure I'm past that stage.  My question is, are there any negatives with trying to reduce IGF1 levels?  It's difficult to get an unbiased opinion on the web, some sites are even selling IGF1 as a way to make your skin look younger; so does this mean reducing IGF1 will make your skin age quicker, even though you may live longer?

Many thanks
Jared



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