What are the health benefits of intermittent fasting? We delve into the science behind fasting. Many people lose weight by eating only between 12 and 8 p.m. Water fasting is also promoted on social media. This involves eating nothing for days and drinking only water and coffee or tea. Like student and content creator Jordy. He sometimes goes 48 to 100 hours without eating anything, subsisting on only water and electrolytes. Professor Hanno Pijl of Leiden UMC also practices intermittent fasting. He explains how it can improve metabolism and how damaged cells are cleared through the biological process of autophagy.