Study: Intermittent Fasting May Help You Live Longer

BALTIMORE (CBS) – New research finds that intermittent fasting could actually help you live longer. It's commonly used for weight loss, but a new review in the New England Journal of Medicine shows it can also reduce blood pressure and improve life span.

The study considered two methods of fasting – only eating during a six-to-eight-hour window each day or choosing to severely limit calorie intake on two days each week.

"Evidence is accumulating that eating in a 6-hour period and fasting for 18 hours can trigger a metabolic switch from glucose-based to ketone-based energy, with increased stress resistance, increased longevity, and a decreased incidence of diseases, including cancer and obesity," the article states.

Earlier this year, a small study in the journal Obesity found that eating all meals in a 6-hour period may lead to weight loss.