Diet with fasting-like elements led to a 2.5-year reduction in indicators of prediabetes and aging.
The Fasting-Mimicking Diet (FMD) is a groundbreaking eating plan that offers a unique approach to fasting, providing the benefits of a fasted state without complete food abstinence. Developed by Valter Longo, a professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, the FMD has been backed by serious science and has shown promising results in improving multiple health markers.
The FMD is structured as a five-day eating plan, which includes vegetable soups, energy bars, herbal teas, plant-based snacks, and supplements. The specific composition of the diet is crucial, as it keeps the body in a "fasting-like" state while still providing enough sustenance to function normally. The diet is low in protein and carbohydrates but relatively high in healthy fats, tricking the body into a fasted state without the need for complete food deprivation.
Compared to other popular fasting methods such as intermittent fasting or water-only fasting, the FMD offers several benefits. It is easier to adhere to, as it allows eating small amounts of food, making it more tolerable physically and emotionally. The FMD also helps preserve muscle mass during the fasting period, which is important for metabolism and overall health.
The FMD activates autophagy and pathways associated with longevity, reduces inflammation, supports cellular clean-up, and improves metabolic health, similar to water-only fasting but with less discomfort. It is often done for 5 days at intervals (every 1 to 6 months) under medical supervision, making it a potentially safer and more controlled approach compared to continuous or very frequent fasting.
In contrast, intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting, and water-only fasting entails no calories and is more physically demanding, with risks if not carefully monitored.
The FMD is a periodic intervention, not a daily practice like intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating. A groundbreaking study published in Nature Communications reveals that the FMD can improve metabolic health without traditional fasting. The study involved a total of 86 participants across two clinical trials.
The FMD has shown to reverse biological age by approximately 2.5 years. However, the long-term effects of the FMD are still unknown. The FMD is temporary, not permanent, and asks for discipline only five days per month, with normal eating for the other 25 days. It provides nutritional support during the fasting-like state, unlike extended water fasting.
It is important to note that the FMD is not suitable for everyone. It is not recommended for pregnant women, underweight individuals, people with eating disorders, or those with certain medical conditions. Always consult a healthcare provider before starting the FMD.
The FMD is potentially more accessible than many cutting-edge medical interventions, as it doesn't require expensive equipment, proprietary drugs, or invasive procedures. However, it does require consistency and following the diet exactly as prescribed for multiple monthly cycles to achieve results.
In summary, the FMD offers a middle ground: it provides many of the cellular and health benefits of fasting by mimicking the fasted state with a low-calorie, low-protein, high-fat diet, reducing the challenges and risks associated with complete food abstinence.
