Leicester team aims to find ancient fresh water below seabed
'Groundbreaking research'
Speaking to BBC Radio Leicester, Dr Andrew McIntyre, from the school of geography, geology and the environment at the University of Leicester, believes freshwater will be found on the expedition."Usually any water below the surface would be sea water, but we now have evidence there is fresh water under the sea bed and we want to figure out how it got there," he said. "We have some ideas, we think it could be as old as 20,000-120,000-years-old, so it's really ancient water."Dr McIntyre said the expedition is part of the International Ocean Drilling Programme.This is an international marine research collaboration exploring Earth's history and dynamics using ocean research platforms to recover data recorded in seafloor sediments and rocks and to monitor subseafloor environments.As well as trying to prove fresh water is below the seabed, the team wants to investigate how ice ages may have changed certain seabeds over a time span of tens to hundreds of thousands of years.This is Dr McIntyre's third offshore expedition and he added: "This is ground-breaking research to identify some key questions, so I am very much looking forward to sailing on this one."
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Daily Mail
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Medical News Today
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One of the study authors, William Hsu, MD, an endocrinologist and Chief Medical Officer at L-Nutra, told Medical News Today that:'This study demonstrates how the fasting-mimicking diet (FMD), when combined with physician oversight and registered dietitian (RD) coaching, can be safely and effectively implemented in real-world clinical settings to manage type 2 diabetes.'The researchers presented these results at the American Diabetes Association's 85th Scientific Sessions on June 20, 2025. The findings are yet to appear in a peer-reviewed do fasting diets work?The treatment for type 2 diabetes typically involves a combination of lifestyle modifications and medications. Lifestyle modifications, including dietary changes and increased physical activity, help lower blood glucose levels and facilitate weight medications such as metformin and GLP-1 agonists facilitate the management of diabetes symptoms, only lifestyle changes, such as dietary modifications, can lead to disease have shown that restricting daily calorie intake is effective in managing blood sugar levels and reducing weight in individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, adhering to such a diet over the long term is the body adapts to long-term calorie restriction, resulting in a slower metabolism, which makes sustained weight loss more various forms of fasting diets, involving alternating periods of fasting and unrestricted food intake, have been suggested to be easier to adhere to while alleviating diabetes triggers a stress response in cells and the body, promoting healthy aging by reducing inflammation and oxidative damage, while enhancing diets may involve either restricting calorie intake during certain hours of the day, known as intermittent fasting, or during specific days of the week or month, referred to as periodic fasting-mimicking diet is a form of periodic fasting that involves restricted calorie intake for 4 to 7 consecutive days per have developed the fasting mimicking diet to simulate the beneficial health effects of water-only fasting, which involves only water intake during a 24 to 72-hour period. In contrast to water-only fasting, a fasting-mimicking diet allows for limited calorie intake during the fasting period, making adherence less challenging. Blood sugar control: How is a 5-day fasting approach better?The authors of the current study have developed a patented low-calorie, plant-based diet that is low in sugar and protein, but rich in healthy unsaturated fats and fiber.A previous study demonstrated that a 5-day fasting-mimicking diet also leads to a decrease in blood sugar and insulin levels, while increasing the levels of ketone bodies. Moreover, a recent randomized controlled trial demonstrated that a 5-day fasting mimicking diet combined with medications was more effective than medications alone in improving blood glucose control and reducing medication reliance. These results were observed under highly controlled conditions in a clinical trial, including strict criteria for patient inclusion and exclusion. This makes it essential to evaluate the real-world efficacy of this impact of a fasting-mimicking dietIn the present study, researchers evaluated the real-world benefits of integrating a fasting-mimicking diet into routine care for individuals with type 2 present study included data from patients enrolled in a diabetes management program that involved following a monthly 5-day fasting-mimicking diet under the supervision of physicians and registered were enrolled in the study on a rolling basis, and data were collected from those who had completed at least 3 or 6 months of the the end of 3 and 6 months, the fasting-mimicking diet was effective in facilitating weight loss and reducing glycated hemoglobin levels, a marker of blood glucose levels. The fasting-mimicking diet also helped a greater percentage of participants achieve blood glucose control at these time points than at the time of fasting-mimicking diet also reduced reliance on medications for blood glucose control, while still resulting in high levels of engagement in the addition, Hsu noted: 'Most participants are able to integrate the fasting-mimicking diet into their daily lives without significant disruption. Because it's a 5-day monthly intervention rather than a daily regimen, many find it feasible to complete even with work and family obligations, especially with RD support to tailor practical strategies for adherence and personalization.'While the fasting-mimicking diet can be safely undertaken by most individuals with type 2 diabetes, patients should consult a physician before starting such a Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, a preventive cardiology dietitian and heart health expert at Entirely Nourished, not involved in this study, expressed some caution about the findings.'While the positive effects of the FMD program on weight and HbA1c [a marker of blood sugar] are promising, it is important to note that the intervention was associated with common signs of energy deficit — including fatigue, headache, dizziness, and nausea — in a substantial number of participants during the 5-day fasting period,' Routhenstein told MNT.'Although these symptoms resolved between cycles, they may pose risks for certain individuals, especially those with coexisting health conditions or frailty,' she pointed also cautioned that: 'While the program accommodates most individuals with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome, certain conditions are exclusionary, such as recent cardiovascular events, end-stage diabetes complications, frailty, a BMI under 18, or allergies to FMD ingredients. The program is designed to prioritize safety while expanding access to innovative nutrition-based care for metabolic health.'Finally, Routhenstein advised that 'the inclusion of lifestyle advice with the option to consult a dietitian may have influenced some of the study findings.'
