American neuroscientist Mark P. Mattson, Ph.D., says that people who fast during the day and feast in the evening are more likely to lose weight and have lower blood pressure.

Of course this research is contrary to recent advice that eating small amounts regularly is the key to weight loss, but Dr Mattson has apparently tested the diet on rats, which were starved one day and allowed to gorge the next.

He says they lost weight and lived longer than rats that were allowed to eat whenever they liked.

Dr Mattson believes that the same theory could apply to humans.

This new thinking also predicts that the 'blowout' diet may give protection against heart disease and strokes as well as degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

He says our basic metabolism was set up when we were hunter-gatherers, and the pattern would be a mixture of feast and famine, and man might go several days without food then splurge when a supply was found.

Mattson says today, we not only get much less exercise than our distant ancestors, but having a regular food supply as opposed to an intermittent one may prove to be almost as damaging.

The theory is that because the body is deprived of food, it is coaxed into producing proteins and other chemicals normally released during short periods of stress like exercise, and these proteins can help to protect some cells from degeneration and others from cancer.

Most doctors however continue to recommend that never skipping breakfast and always eating regular, balanced meals is the way to achieve sustained weight loss and good health.

Dr Mattson's article appears in The Lancet.

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African Americans in this trial who consumed 3 servings a day of dairy also had significant decreases in blood pressure and circulating levels of insulin, suggesting an association between dairy intake and reduced risk for high blood pressure and insulin resistance, respectively. "This research by Dr. Zemel indicates adults consuming three servings of dairy daily as part of a healthy diet may help reduce the risk for some obesity-related chronic diseases that disproportionately affect the African-American population, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure," said National Medical Association past president Winston Price, M.D. Recently, the National Medical Association issued the Consensus Report that recommends African Americans consume 3-4 servings of dairy foods each day to help reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

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