Some speculate Shakespeare was a total fabrication too, along the same lines. Apparently when you look at William Shakespeare's family tree it reads:
-Illiterate
-Illiterate
-Greatest English Language Writer in History
-Illiterate
…
Longest medically supervised fast in history: A 27-year-old male patient fasted under supervision for 382 days and has subsequently maintained his normal weight.
Fasting is being shown to be something the body is more well equipped to deal with than over-consumption. Most chronic illnesses in the world today are the result of gluttonous lifestyle choices, and poor dietary and nutritional knowledge. In archaic human populations they live season to season, following migrating animals or foraging. It would be common to go several days without eating a couple times a year, a time when the body has a chance to reset metabolically and cleanse. Most adults can even survive 30 days on a water fast without eating, but a 3 day fast is supposed to have significant effect on assisting healing. It boosts the recovery of chemo patients significantly.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2495396/