Previous: 12 Ways to Increase Brain Power for Architecture School – PART 1

In the first part of “12 Ways to Increase Your Brain for Architecture School”, I gave my first six life-hacks for keeping your mind clear, powerful, and alert for those long lecture days and even longer work nights.

In case you need a bit of refreshing:

1. Ditch the sugar.
2. Get enough sleep at night.
3. Drink enough water.
4. Make sure you’re getting enough Omega-3s.
5. Make nuts your snack of choice.
6. Enjoy a cup of brewed coffee.

Today I want to continue the chain and add a few more brilliant, effective things you can do to help your brain stay revved in high gear.

Implement the complete twelve in a comprehensive and quantified program, and you my friend are setting your brain for some serious pampering throughout life. 

7. Make power naps a habit.

"There is more refreshment and stimulation in a nap, even of the briefest, than in all the alcohol ever distilled". ~Ovid

Short “power naps”, as they’re called, are one of the architecture student’s most precious tools in handling the chaos of design work and technical studies.

You see, kicking yourself into high gear all the time and expecting you can run forever is just madness. You’re going to run out of gas, and you’ll need to refill periodically before you conk out.

In the context of architecture school, this means managing sleep debt and deprivation through strategically located “refreshment periods”, which short naps are perfect for.

When you use your brain, a compound called adenosine starts to build up – which causes fatigue and slower nerve cell activity. We established previously that caffeine helps in keeping this at bay.

But giving your mind a break and taking 20 minute snooze flushes the adenosine out and clears your system. After a while, your adenosine levels will be low enough for you to work again in a refreshed state.

You don’t even need to doze off. Just relax, close your eyes, and clear your mind. Don’t forget to breathe deeply, slowly, and exhale your stress away.

But why 20 minutes?

When we sleep, it’s actually a cycle of lighter and deeper sleep stages (Will explain further in future posts). One cycle lasts 90 minutes. If you wake up while you’re already meandering into the deeper sleep stages, the result is an annoying sluggishness.

The 20 minute mark is the sweet spot to wake up in during the first sleep stage. Extend further than that while you’re falling into deeper sleep and you could wake up cranky and tired.

So yes, 20 minutes is the magic number.

Power naps work. It’s in our biology. So use them to your advantage.

Try this: Get a 20 minute power nap in, every day around lunch time to become refreshed the entire afternoon. Not only will it clear your brain, but it will prevent the mid afternoon slump, lower stress levels and blood pressure, and a host of other great things.

Or if you’re feeling slow and sluggish after hours of production work, take a nap to flush out the fatigue and come back more efficient. Just make sure you have a good alarm clock, or someone dependable who can wake you up.

Make your Power Nap work EVEN BETTER: 

Have you ever heard of a coffee nap?

Basically it involves drinking a cup of coffee, and then immediately napping for 15-20 minutes. And it essentially makes your nap a whole lot more effective in refreshing you.

It might seem counterintuitive. After all, it’s common knowledge that caffeine wakes you up – so won’t it interfere with your restful nap?

The beautiful thing about this uncanny relationship is a synthesis of timing. Sure, caffeine wakes you up – but it takes around 20 minutes for the effect to fully take effect. So if you take a nap after downing a cup of joe, you’ll be waking up just in time for the kick.

And the result? Your naptime will have flushed fatigue-inducing adenosine out of your brain, and the caffeine will perk you up and prevent further adenosine build-up. Talk about awesome refreshment.

Pretty cool, ain’t it? I’ve used coffee naps extensively to stay amazingly energetic during trying times. I’m confident they could help you – just as long as you aren’t extra sensitive to caffeine.

8. Take a teaspoon of Creatine Monohydrate every day.

Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid that helps to supply energy to all your body’s cells – most significantly your muscles and your brain. It’s abundant in animal protein, like beef.

It is also one of the most heavily researched supplements – ever. I’m talking decades worth of research establishing it as an athlete’s best friend. That’s more research than sugar laden juice cleanses or fad weight loss supplements.

You might be wary of the misinformation surrounding creatine, along the lines of “it is bad for your kidney”. But this is has been proven to be an age old ignorant correlation. If you have no existing kidney problems, taking a bit of creatine everyday is perfectly safe.

And why wouldn’t you? Pour through the research, and you’ll discover how an amazing an asset it is for athletic ability and brain ability. I’ll talk about its muscular benefits some other time. For now, let’s focus on the brain.

You can think of creatine as an efficiency inducer for your mind. It acts as a catalyst to fueling your brain with ATP, making synapses fire much faster. The result? You are quicker, more alert, and your memory capacity is at its peak.

It’s so effective that it’s used to stave off risks of brain degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, and aid older folk in keeping their brains sharp.

Supplementing with creatine monohydrate is a saturation process. It works by slowly increasing your bodies level of creatine, and then maintaining it. Once you stop taking creatine, it will just eventually drop down to initial levels.

Try this: Take a teaspoon (3 to 5 grams) of Creatine Monohydrate daily. You can have it with juice, water, or even your morning coffee.

Be sure that you drink a glass of water every hour or so. The more hydrated you are, the better, not only for it to work better, but also for general health and alertness.

Will probably do an in-depth post on Creatine Monohydrate in the future, so stay tuned for that.

9. Discover the benefits of short term fasting.

I am a proponent of intermittent, regular, short-term fasts for health and wellness reasons. I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for more than 2 years. And it has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. 

I’ll be devoting a comprehensive post to the science, methodology and programs for a safe and effective short term fasting lifestyle, but for now, this is what you have to know.

Fasting does not mean starving yourself until you pass out. Let’s get that out of the way.

Fasting means taking a break from stuffing yourself from food all the time, allowing your digestive system to rest.

It means inducing a short term state of healing and repair, regularly allowing your body to efficiently focus on weeding out troublesome cells that could potentially be the beginnings of cancer.

It means inducing a state of autophagy without actually starving yourself, that improves health markers and creates a sense of well-being and energy, and induces mental clarity.

You heard me right. Mental clarity. Fasting the correct way (not drinking a sugar-laden “juice cleanse” that will make you feel sluggish) improves mental performance and allows you to be more productive with steady energy.

This can mean abstaining from food for 14-16 hours every other day (think 10pm to 12nn the next day). Or it could mean not eating for 24 hours in one week (Saturday 6pm to Sunday 6pm).

Fasting = no calorie laden food. Hydration is mandatory. Black coffee and tea are fine – just make sure they are unsweetened or it defeats the purpose.

For a lot of people who have been so believing of conventional media, the idea of strategically not eating for more health and mental clarity seems preposterous.

It’s not. You’ve just been misinformed. There’s a wonderful, safe, and peaceful world of short-term fasting. Prepare to be enlightened in future posts.

Or you could jump the gun and refer to some of the references I provided down below. Enjoy.

10. Treat yourself to Coconut Water, and fuel up with Coconut Oil.

There are some foods that are really a jack-of-all trades. The coconut is one of them. Especially in the context of moderation – it’s full of so much good stuff that helps you stay healthy and mentally powerful.

I admit. I’m coconuts for coconuts. And with how it’s helped me achieve a ton of energy, well-being and productivity, can you really blame me?

Coconut water is nature’s own gatorade – just minus the drowse-inducing added sugar. It’s a fantastic source of potassium, which lowers your blood pressure and allows for proper hydration. Take a swig of ice cold coconut water and you’ll see what I mean.

Coconut meat and all its iterations is predominantly made up of Lauric acid – a kind of saturated fat. The same goes for coconut oil.

Again, dig deeper on the conventional wisdom that “saturated fat is bad”. We need a good amount of it for our hormones to not go haywire. You just need to be smart about it.

Lauric oil is a kind of Medium Chain Triglyceride (MCT) which is a deceptive saturated fat – because it increases “good” HDL cholesterol, and aids in processes that helps you lose your gut. It keeps you full and with steady energy for a long time, and MCTs are another preferred fuel for your brain. They are one of the best things you can ingest for better and more steady thinking.

If you don’t like the taste of coconut or can’t find fresh meat (I made a DOTA reference), then no worries. The two coconutty tools that you can easily hydrate into your lifestyle are coconut oil and coconut water.

Drink fresh, unsweetened coconut water as a hydration treat. The amount of potassium in there is great in offsetting the enormous sodium intake of the average modern diet.

As for coconut oil, a tablespoon or two a day will do wonders for your mental performance, especially in conjunction with a comprehensive and balance lifestyle program. Make sure it is Virgin Coconut Oil, and not the bleached, highly-processed stuff.

Try this:  I add one tablespoon of Virgin Coconut Oil and one teaspoon of Creatine Monohydrate to my morning black coffee.

Poof. My brain officially has a kickstart of mental clarity and performance upon waking.

11. Make leafy vegetables and protein the cornerstone of your biggest meals.

You’ve been told time and time again as a child that you need to eat your vegetables. Nothing has changed. Eating vegetables and fruits regularly is still one of the best ways to improve your health, as well as physical and mental performance.

They aid in removing nasty stuff from your digestive system, keeping your gut A-okay.

They give you an enormous amount of nutrients that prevents deficiencies and sickness.

They keep you full and stave away hunger pangs, which is invaluable during times when you need to pay attention or concentrate.

And, they keep your energy levels stable and steady, preventing you from getting the spike-and-crash energy crisis from downing a sugary drink.

This you’ve probably heard all before and doubted whether they are really that important (they are).

To add to this, I’d like to say that you need enough protein in your diet as well.

Proteins (which literally means, of first importance) are the building blocks of your body. For growth, repair, and realignment. If you don’t give your body enough protein, you are literally compromising its ability to renew itself, and it will have to compromise internally – leaving you feeling really sunk.

When you’re deficient in protein, not only does your body have a hard time repairing itself, but it also causes you to have crippling mental fog as well.

Adequate protein in your daily diet is not only a requirement if you’re looking to lean down or gain a bit of muscle, but it’s also a safe guard against feeling drained.

Not only mentally, but also emotionally. Protein (and the fats that come with typical cuts of meat) help regulate the hormones of your body. This allows your moods to become more stable, and your sense of general well-being also becomes a daily friend.

Remember. Protein and Veggies with all your major meals. We’ll talk about how to quantify that in future posts.

If your daily eating methodology involves a lot of rice, minimal protein, no veggies, some dessert and a sugary drink four times a day – I am willing to bet you are constantly hungry and mentally tired.

We’ll talk more about how to get back-on-track to an energy-inducing eating strategy in the future. But for now, just know that a sugar-centered diet just won’t cut it.

12. Exercise regularly.

"The body will become better at whatever you do, or don't do. If you don't move, your body will make you better at not moving. If you move, your body will allow you more movement". ~Ido Portal

I’d like to end this series by stressing the importance of regular exercise.

Yes, I said the E-word.

There’s no getting around it. Exercise always has been, and always will be, the universal life hack – especially in today’s modern world.

Exercise makes you feel great, helps speed up the removal waste products, and essentially clears up your head for efficient thinking.

It’s basically your body’s biggest asset in handling what the world throws at you.

When you don’t put your body to use, it degrades. It gets weaker, lowers its metabolic rate, lowers capacity, loses flexibility, stops pumping blood efficiently, and just downgrades over time.

The result? You become weaker, tired, fatter, achy all over, and the quality of your life suffers.

Exercise is the spark, the stimulus that brings your body to work properly, flush out waste products more efficiently, and seek to upgrade itself.

And i’m not even talking about hitting the gym six times a week, or slaving through a hardcore regimen like “P90x” or “Insanity”.

I’m talking about committing less then two hours a week to do efficient training that will be your investment against disease, give you an endorphin high, and help improve your quality of life.

And even if you just commit to body weight training with minimal weight implements, you can achieve all that.

More than anything, the most important thing is to move your body. Train your muscles and joints for everyday life. Strengthen your heart to efficiently pump blood and rejuvenate your body – clearing up your mind in the process.

Move your body. Use your body.

Use it or you’re going to lose it.

Even within the business of architecture school life, you can find time to invest in your health through exercise. You just have to determine your goals, and find a regimen that will allow you to live a balanced lifestyle.

In the next few entries of this category, we’ll explore the vast world of options in how you can begin your path in feeling like a million bucks.

***

All of this is just advice geared towards a moderate approach for powering-up your life quality. Stay critical, do your research, and think for yourself. 🙂

Keep healthy, and Carpe Diem.

Cheers,

You might also want to check out the following studies:

(Lugaresi R1, Leme M, de Salles Painelli V, Murai IH, Roschel H, Sapienza MT, Lancha Junior AH, Gualano B.) Does long-term creatine supplementation impair kidney function in resistance-trained individuals consuming a high-protein diet? - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23680457

(Tanya Zilberter and Eugene Y. Zilberter) Breakfast and cognition: sixteen effects in nine populations, no single recipe - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3787246/#!po=8.33333

(Mohamed H. Ahmed and Tarig A. M. Abdu) Diabetes and Ramadan: An Update On Use of Glycemic Therapies During Fasting - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3156519/

(Kim S Stote, David J Baer, [...], and Mark P Mattson) A controlled trial of reduced meal frequency without caloric restriction in healthy, normal-weight, middle-aged adults1,2,3 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2645638/

(Solat Eslami, Zahra Barzgari, [...], and Abolfazl Barzegari) Annual Fasting; the Early Calories Restriction for Cancer Prevention - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3648937/

(Monica C Klempel,1 Cynthia M Kroeger,1 Surabhi Bhutani,1 John F Trepanowski,1 and Krista A Varady) Intermittent fasting combined with calorie restriction is effective for weight loss and cardio-protection in obese women - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3511220/

(Fernando M. Safdie, Tanya Dorff, [...], and Valter D. Longo ) Fasting and cancer treatment in humans: A case series report - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2815756/

(Mohsen Nematy, Maryam Alinezhad-Namaghi, [...], and Abdolreza Norouzy ) Effects of Ramadan fasting on cardiovascular risk factors: a prospective observational study - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3487759/

(SA Beshyah, MM Benbarka, and IH Sherif ) Practical Management of Diabetes during Ramadan Fast - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3078251/

(Olga P. Rogozina, Katai J. Nkhata, [...], and Margot P. Cleary) The Protective Effect of Intermittent Calorie Restriction on Mammary Tumorigenesis is Not Compromised by Consumption of a High Fat Diet During Refeeding - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3610797/

(Seyyed Reza Attarzadeh Hosseini, Mohammad Ali Sardar, [...], and Samaneh Farahati) The Effect of Ramadan Fasting and Physical Activity on Body Composition, Serum Osmolarity Levels and Some Parameters of Electrolytes in Females - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3693661/

(Margot P Cleary and Michael E Grossmann) The manner in which calories are restricted impacts mammary tumor cancer prevention - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3190408/#!po=5.00000

(Bahman Mirzaei, Farhad Rahmani-Nia, [...], and Abolfazl Rezaei) The Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Biochemical and Performance Parameters in Collegiate Wrestlers - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3646235/

(Amir-Hossein Memari, MD, Ramin Kordi, MD, PhD, [...], and Ali Akbarnejad, PhD) Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Body Composition and Physical Performance in Female Athletes - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3289211/

(Krista A Varady, Surabhi Bhutani, [...], and Yolian Calvo) Alternate day fasting for weight loss in normal weight and overweight subjects: a randomized controlled trial - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3833266/

(Daniel Wuttke, Richard Connor, [...], and João Pedro de Magalhães) Dissecting the Gene Network of Dietary Restriction to Identify Evolutionarily Conserved Pathways and New Functional Genes - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3415404/

(Olga Carlson, Bronwen Martin, [...], and Mark P. Mattson) Impact of Reduced Meal Frequency Without Caloric Restriction on Glucose Regulation in Healthy, Normal Weight Middle-Aged Men and Women - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2121099/

(Ismayil Ahmet, Hyun-Jin Tae, [...], and Mark I. Talan) Effects of Calorie Restriction on Cardioprotection and Cardiovascular Health - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3138119/

(John F Trepanowski1 and Richard J Bloomercorresponding author) The impact of religious fasting on human health - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995774/ 

(Michelle N. Harvie, Mary Pegington, [...], and Anthony Howell) The effects of intermittent or continuous energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers: a randomised trial in young overweight women - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3017674/

(R. Michael Anson,1 Bruce Jones,1 and Rafael de Cabodcorresponding author1,2) The diet restriction paradigm: a brief review of the effects of every-other-day feeding - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3456096/

(Bronwen Martin,a,* Mark P. Mattson,a,b and Stuart Maudsleya) Caloric restriction and intermittent fasting: Two potential diets for successful brain aging - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2622429/ 

(Cynthia M Kroeger,1 Monica C Klempel,1 Surabhi Bhutani,1 John F Trepanowski,1 Christine C Tangney,2 and Krista A Varady) Improvement in coronary heart disease risk factors during an intermittent fasting/calorie restriction regimen: Relationship to adipokine modulations - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3514278/

(Sayed Hossein Davoodi, Marjan Ajami, [...], and Hamid Reza Pazoki-Toroudi) Calorie Shifting Diet Versus Calorie Restriction Diet: A Comparative Clinical Trial Study - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4018593/

(Oren Froy1 and Ruth Miskin2) Effect of feeding regimens on circadian rhythms: Implications for aging and longevity - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2837202/

(Oren Froy) Circadian Rhythms and Obesity in Mammals - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3914271/

(Mo'ez Al-Islam Ezzat Faris, 1 , 2 ,* Rand Nidal Hussein, 3 Ref'at Ahmad Al-Kurd, 2 Mohammed Ahmed Al-Fararjeh, 4 Yasser Khalil Bustanji, 3 and Mohammad Khalil Mohammad 3) Impact of Ramadan Intermittent Fasting on Oxidative Stress Measured by Urinary 15-F2t-Isoprostane - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3485525/

(Stephen Anton and Christiaan Leeuwenburgh) Fasting or caloric restriction for Healthy Aging - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3919445/

(Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D.) Stress, Food, and Inflammation: Psychoneuroimmunology and Nutrition at the Cutting Edge - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2868080/

(Sara Gelino and Malene Hansen) Autophagy - An Emerging Anti-Aging Mechanism - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3674854/

(Colin Selman and Dominic J. Withers) Mammalian models of extended healthy lifespan - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001304/

(Mehrdad Alirezaei, Christopher C. Kemball, [...], and William B. Kiosses) Short-term fasting induces profound neuronal autophagy - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3106288/

(John F Trepanowski, Robert E Canale, [...], and Richard J Bloomer) Impact of caloric and dietary restriction regimens on markers of health and longevity in humans and animals: a summary of available findings - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3200169/#!po=3.12500

(Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor ) Weight Science: Evaluating the Evidence for a Paradigm Shift - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3041737/

(Samo Ribarič) Diet and Aging - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3425961/#!po=2.27273

(Alpay Güvenç) Effects of Ramadan Fasting on Body Composition, Aerobic Performance and Lactate, Heart Rate and Perceptual Responses in Young Soccer Players - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3588618/

(Daniel L. Smith, Jr., Tim R. Nagy, and David B. Allison) Calorie Restriction: What Recent Results Suggest for the Future of Aging Research - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3073505/

(Stephen R. Stannard, PhD) Ramadan and Its Effect on Fuel Selection during Exercise and Following Exercise Training - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3289214/

(Octavio A. González, DDS, MS, PhD, Christine Tobia, BS, [...], and M. John Novak, BDS, LDS, PhD ) Caloric Restriction and Chronic Inflammatory Diseases - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193874/

(Paul Malik, MD FRCPC) Hungry for life - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2650644/ 

(Bronwen Martin, Erin Golden, [...], and Stuart Maudsley) Reduced energy intake: the secret to a long and healthy life? - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577199/

(K. A. Varady, D. J. Roohk, [...], and M. K. Hellerstein ) Modified alternate-day fasting regimens reduce cell proliferation rates to a similar extent as daily calorie restriction in mice - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2975447/

(Francisco Mora, MD, PhD, DPhil (Oxon) Successful brain aging: plasticity, environmental enrichment, and lifestyle - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3622468/

(Massimiliano Cerletti, Young C. Jang, [...], and Amy J. Wagers ) Short-term calorie restriction enhances skeletal muscle stem cell function - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3561899/

(Edward P. Weiss and Luigi Fontana) Caloric restriction: powerful protection for the aging heart and vasculature - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3197347/

(Samira Eshghinia and Fatemeh Mohammadzadeh) The effects of modified alternate-day fasting diet on weight loss and CAD risk factors in overweight and obese women - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3598220/

(Matthew D. Bruss, Airlia C. S. Thompson, [...], and Marc K. Hellerstein ) The effects of physiological adaptations to calorie restriction on global cell proliferation rates - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3279299/

(Joanne S. Allard, Leonie K. Heilbronn, [...], and Rafael de Cabo ) In Vitro Cellular Adaptations of Indicators of Longevity in Response to Treatment with Serum Collected from Humans on Calorie Restricted Diets - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2527659/

(Amadou K.S. Camara, Edward J. Lesnefsky, and David F. Stowe ) Potential Therapeutic Benefits of Strategies Directed to Mitochondria - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2936955/

(Luigi Fontana, MD, PhD ) Neuroendocrine Factors in the Regulation of Inflammation: Excessive Adiposity and Calorie Restriction - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2652518/

(Vishwa Deep Dixit , Hyunwon Yang, [...], and Dennis D Taub ) Controlled meal frequency without caloric restriction alters peripheral blood mononuclear cell cytokine production - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3058015/

(James B. Johnson, Warren Summer, [...], and Mark P. Mattson ) Alternate Day Calorie Restriction Improves Clinical Findings and Reduces Markers of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Overweight Adults with Moderate Asthma - https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#st=p&n=eaee5755-efcd-4599-a2ac-4cdeeca8e102

(Maciej Gasior, Michael A. Rogawski, and Adam L. Hartman ) Neuroprotective and disease-modifying effects of the ketogenic diet - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2367001/

(Monica C Klempel, Surabhi Bhutani, [...], and Krista A Varady ) Dietary and physical activity adaptations to alternate day modified fasting: implications for optimal weight loss - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2941474/