In Chapter 1, “Why We Love Fad Diets,” authors Janet Chrzan and Kima Cargill explain the American propensity to take shortcuts to weight loss.

Human beings are susceptible to the latest nutritional trends, regardless of their actual biological value.

Coupling a diet low in calories, sugar, and protein with existing cancer drugs treats triple-negative breast cancer in mice, and low blood glucose is associated with better cancer outcomes in human patients.

Researchers study obesity by assessing ghrelin levels in biological samples.

Men had better fat-burning results when they had breakfast after cycling instead of beforehand.

Even in mice with a busted circadian clock and an unhealthy diet, carefully timed feeding overcomes the rodents’ predispositions for metabolic diseases.

Maintaining dynamic connections among the body’s mitochondria is required for the health and life-extending benefits of low-calorie diets for nematodes.

High-fat, low-carbohydrate diets are shown to increase lifespan and preserve memory in two independent mouse experiments.

Regularly taking breaks from eating—for hours or days—can trigger changes both expected, such as in metabolic dynamics and inflammation, and surprising, as in immune system function and cancer progression.

Mounting evidence suggests that intermittent fasting causes significant changes to various organs and tissue types.

And a diet that includes a few days of caloric restriction each month reduces biomarkers of aging and disease in people, according to a small trial.

Starvation paired with cancer drugs slowed or stopped unchecked cell growth in yeast and mouse models of cancer, outpacing or matching the isolated effects of chemo.