I think your touching on something here parazapper! We need glucose throughout the body but if the cell only receives glucose without oxygen then the cell starts to ferment destroying dna and all else in the cell ! Too much glucose without enough oxygen is the real culprite! Perhaps sleep (no foods)as you say allows the body to remove dead or dying cells is of benefit but perhaps sleep also allows more oxygen to enter the body! By the way minerals supply cells with oxygen and as some say Cancer or all disease is a mineral deficiency!