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What is the Fasting-Mimicking Diet?
Health | December 11, 2019
Do you want the benefits of fasting without ever having to fast? Then look no further than the Fasting-Mimicking Diet (FMD). It’s a science-backed alternative to fasting based on the work of Dr. Valter Longo Ph.D., an awarding-winning professor, researcher, and director of the University of Southern California (USC) Longevity Institute. Dr. Longo is also the creator of the Longevity Diet, which is based on the principles of whole-foods nutrition and FMD. If you’d like to know about FMD, then join me today for a closer look into the benefits, drawbacks, and 101. Are you ready? Then let’s get started! [1]
FMD 101
The word “mimic” means to copy or imitate. So, the fasting-mimicking diet is designed to replicate fasting. Usually, when talking about fasting, we tend to think of restriction or going hungry for long periods. Not so with FMD! Instead of cutting out meals as you would in a regular fast, you’re cutting down on the amount of food you’re eating. Enough to the point of “tricking” the body into thinking it is going through a fast. Here’s how it goes.
In terms of calories, it’s designed to give you between 34-54% of your “normal” daily calories. If you’re looking for specifics, then here’s an example from ProLon, which is a five-day FMD-based meal-service kit. According to the stats, day one provides 1,090 calories (consisting of 10% protein, 56% fat, and 34% carbs), and days two to five provide 725 calories (which is 9% protein, 44% fat, and 47% carbs). As you can see, that is an extremely low number of calories. Which is why FMD is not a long-term diet. It’s a short-term program designed to improve health and longevity. Both Dr. Longo and ProLon recommend doing 3-4 “cycles” per year at just five days at a time (or every 1-6 months). However, it’s strongly recommended that all dieters talk with their doctor before doing it to be on the safe side. [2] [3] [4]
A typical day on ProLon looks like this:
- Breakfast: Herbal tea and plant-based nutrition bar
- Lunch: Vegetable soup and kale “crackers”
- Snack (optional): Olives, nutrient “energy” drink
- Dinner: Another type of soup
The ProLon kit comes with supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to prevent deficiencies. No other foods or drinks (other than sugar-free, non-caffeinated herbal tea) are allowed. Although small amounts of fresh herbs and lemon juice can be added to meals for taste. According to ProLon, “Because the ProLon ® diet is low in calories, hunger may occur during the 5-day diet period. Most clinical trial participants only experience a low level of periodic hunger. If hunger is severe, the patient should contact their healthcare professional. In such cases, one may want to consume a food that is not highly caloric, such as a slice of an apple. Remember, this diet is only for 5 days. Feeling hungry is normal if one’s normal diet consists of high calories. People generally reported that the hunger subsided by day 3 or 4.” [4]
The Benefits
What happens once your body is convinced that it’s fasting? Plenty of things! Things that result in the benefits of FMD:
Cells
Once the body has entered a fasting state, the body begins the process of cellular recycling known as autophagy. During autophagy, the body cleans up old, damaged, and disease-prone cells and replaces them with newer, healthier ones. (Think of it as a healthy “purge.”) Studies show that it reduces levels of C-Reactive proteins, which promote inflammation. At the same time, it increases specific genes that are known to promote longevity. Autophagy is currently a hot topic in the medical world for its anti-aging, disease-prevention, and anti-inflammatory effects. Could the fountain of youth have been inside of us all along? [5] [6] [7] [8]
Weight Loss
A small study headed by Dr. Longo showed an average of 6 pounds of weight loss and reduced belly fat from FMD. Aside from the fact that you’re dramatically lowering calories, FMD also switches your body into “fat-burning” mode, since glucose (carbs) aren’t consumed in high amounts. Some people end up in a state of ketosis where their body is getting most of its energy from fat and ketones. (More on that here.) [9] [10]
Other Reductions:
In the same study from before, FMD was also shown to reduce other things, including insulin, blood sugar, and cholesterol. This is very promising since the participants had high levels of these things. So, FMD may improve or prevent (but not cure) diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease. I also want to mention another FMD study (this one based on diabetic mice). In it, mice who did FMD four days out of every week for two months regenerated the cells of their pancreas and were able to maintain stable blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity. [11] [12]
Brain Health
Because FMD encourages the body’s self-repair mode and regeneration through autophagy, it can also prevent mental decline. While we cannot stop the aging process, we can slow it down. Thanks to autophagy, we have the opportunity to do just that. Dr. Longo believes that FMD can go so far as to prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia, although more studies are needed to confirm the benefits. So far, we’re limited to just a couple of animal studies. One in particular shows that mice that did short-term food restriction similar to FMD had increased autophagy in nerve cells. And another one in rats with dementia shows that just 12 weeks of alternate day food deprivation lowered oxidative damage in brain tissue. [13 [14]
FMD: Good for everyone?
Unfortunately, FMD is not for everyone. Do not do it under any of these circumstances:
- Diabetes or blood sugar imbalances
- Cardiovascular disease
- Kidney disease
- Low or high blood pressure
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Underweight or malnourished
- Pregnant or breastfeeding
- Have a history of or struggling with an eating disorder
- Taking prescriptions
- Dealing with an injury, illness, or infection
Over to You
What do you think about FMD? Is it the way of the future? Keep in mind that the science on FMD is evolving. There’s still so much we don’t understand about fasting and our health! Luckily, we’ve got experts like Dr. Longo keeping us in the loop on all of the latest research! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and, as always, talk to your doctor before doing any extreme diets or protocols like FMD. I’ll catch you all next time!
Sources:
[1] https://valterlongo.com/fasting-mimicking-diet-longevity/
[2] https://www.businessinsider.com/valter-longo-prolon-fasting-diet-cost-does-it-work-2018-4
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26094889
[4] https://prolonfmd.com/faq/#toggle-id-12
[5] https://www.healthline.com/health/autophagy
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4899145/
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24905167
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5792715/
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28202779
[10] https://l-nutra.com/pages/what-happens-during-a-fast
[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5357144/
[12] https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-018-0318-3
[13] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28515159
[14] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3106288/
Private Member |
Honestly.. this reminds me those one-week diets from women’s magazines.
Private Member |
uk
Go low calorie for 5 days? How is this new? Cabbage soup diet springs to mind. Or grapefruit diet. Or rice diet. Or any other faddy detox and cleanses you see everywhere. Lose weight (all water) gain it right back. This sort of nonsense has been in female magazines for last 100 years. Its just a fancy new label on the same old same old….Someone is cashing in on the popularity of ”fasting” otherwise known as not eating : )
Private Member |
Exactly!
All those new and scientifically researched approaches to eating habits are same old you’ve got it spot on, this particular one is just a disgrace 😁🤷😂
Private Member |
This one is slightly different, its not actually meant to help with weight loss as much as it is longevity. All the people I know that do this diet are middle aged men that are trying to prevent age-related diseases like type 2 diabetes. This diet, from what I hear, is supposed to increase insulin sensitivity and help with resetting the body. The men i know that do it take care of themselves and look good, so if it works, cool. This is supposed to be done all the time with the aim of better sleep and more insulin sensitivity, and I think something about creating more testosterone. Dr. Joseph Sinclair has a large following that follow these diet methods, along with taking NAD boosters and supplements aimed at keeping you in good health and disease-free for a long time.
I did the cabbage soup diet a couple months ago, and it does work crazy fast to get you to drop weight, but the soup itself gave me a ton of low blood sugars. I think the cayenne or something that makes fat burn up makes insulin stronger also.
Private Member |
Now, how about coming out of the 5days such low calory intake, just the average person without any good advice would put those lost kg back within another 5days of return to their regular eating habits🤷
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
This is about longevity ,not about loosing weight. Eat to be healthy, not to look a certain frame. You could be skinny fat and sick. Id rather be padded strong and healthy, however autophagy is triggered by fasting or fmd.
Private Member |
ft. lauderdale, fl, usa
I’d rather go on a 5 day full blown water only fast 4-5 times a year that do this or any other “package diet”. Especially if that diet typically includes nutrition bars and/or protein powders instead of whole foods.
Private Member |
rome, italy
I believe what Valter Longo tells is just in line with the common sense of the eldest. I am Italian as him and it was typical for our grandparents to eat less or long periods of non-eating hours between meals, especially from the dust to the morning. Or in special times of the year (due to the lack of availability of food or to religious rituals or both). They were simply habits based on the natural rhythms of nature and on the rural lifestyle they were living into. It turns out, even here in Italy, the urban lifestyle and the big availability of food sources, especially processed foods and carbohydrates, has led even our eldest to begin being obese or at least sick from processed-food related illnesses.
So, Valter Longo is just taking us back to our natural state of human beings because our bodies are well adapted to this kind of natural lifestyle instead of the artificial urban one. And not the other way around, actually!
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
Zteam, could you add back direct links to comments please? This option is not available anymore and community is so great here that we are missing out on interacti g without it.