Gone are those days when people preferred crash diets to shed their extra weights and gain a perfect shaped body. Today hardly any number is so bold to carry out such extreme slimming plans.

Experts suggest that crash diets actually slow down the metabolism of the dieter and so their body tends to gain more weight when they stop their crash diet course. With similar beliefs, the medical professionals have come out with a brand new mantra, which seems to being followed by many today.

It says concentrate on steady weight loss and not starvation. What if you are free to have food of your choice most of the times but along with made to exercise a bit harder? Not a bad deal ha!

But quite contrary to the above revelation, a BBC TV Horizon investigation presents the public with some health benefits of fasting too along with steady weight loss program.

The issue was discussed between the science reporter Mr. Michael Mosley and the scientists, who presented in their findings of the study over animals that the ones which remained thinnest during the very low calorie diets were noticed to be the healthiest ones among all and moreover, their chances of long survival were also high.

Researchers from the University of Southern California's Longevity Institute added in their explanations about the hormone Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), which they added plays important role in keeping the body cells active constantly.