- FMD diet extends life expectancy
- Reduces diabetes, heart disease risk
- Mimics fasting, enhances cellular health
According to one study, one can potentially gain years of life expectancy by following a diet that emulates the effects of fasting without requiring extreme hunger.
On average, individuals who adhered to the fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) for fifteen days aged over two years, according to the researchers’ findings.
Biomarkers in their bloodstreams also indicated that they had a reduced risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke [citation needed].
Aiming to consume under 1,000 calories per day, the FMD diet consists primarily of low-fat foods, soups, energy drinks, and supplements.
It is purported to deceive the body into believing it is fasting by releasing compounds and enzymes associated with increased longevity.
Professor Valter Longo, a biologist affiliated with the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and the lead author of the new study, stated, “This is the first study to show that people can experience biological youth through a food-based intervention that does not require ongoing dietary or lifestyle changes.”
The diet used in the research comprised three five-day cycles on the FMD diet.
The participants ate 1,100 calories on day one and approximately 720 calories daily from days two through five.
During this time, they also consumed nutritious chip snacks and tea.
The initial day’s diet consists of 34% carbohydrates, 10% protein, and 56% fat; subsequent days follow, which contain 44% fat, 9% protein, and 47% carbohydrates, respectively.
Following that, participants were permitted to eat their usual diets for a period of 25 days.
Both cohorts comprised individuals of both genders, ranging in age from 18 to 70.
Blood samples from participants were analysed by researchers three months later. The results indicated that patients assigned to the FMD group exhibited reduced diabetes risk factors, such as decreased insulin resistance and blood sugar levels.
Biological age is the age of your cells and tissues, as opposed to chronological age, which denotes the length of your life. It is an important metric because it indicates your potential susceptibility to disease.
A reduction in abdominal fat and liver fat, both of which are associated with a decreased risk of metabolic syndrome (a condition that elevates the likelihood of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes), was also detected by MRI scans.
Prior studies have indicated that FMD cycles may further reduce cancer risk factors.
It also appeared that the FMD cycles enhanced the lymphoid-to-myeloid ratio of the participants. This ratio is an indicator of a more youthful immune system.
Subsequent analyses unveiled that FMD participants had, on average, reduced their biological age by 2.5 years. Biological age pertains to the functionality of an individual’s cells and tissues, in contrast to chronological age.
FMD Diet: Rejuvenation and Health Boost
Scientists believe that FMD has “rejuvenating effects on the immune system.” The diet was observed to induce a “rejuvenation of the blood profile” in rodents in prior research.
Additionally, cells throughout the body are reprogrammed into a protected “anti-ageing mode” by the FMD diet. This effect persists after the fast concludes.
What are referred to as “nutrient-sensing” pathways regulate autophagy, which is a sort of cellular “housekeeping.”
It operates perpetually within the body to eliminate undesired by-products of cellular processes.
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Enhanced autophagy correlates with improved well-being and reduced susceptibility to subsequent health complications.
The FMD diet expedites autophagy, resulting in increased elimination of ‘bad’ cells and metabolites that contribute to ageing and disease.
The research was documented in the Nature Communications journal.
Designed to replicate the physiological responses of a fasting-only water fast, it continues to provide essential nutrients.
A water-only fast is a period during which one consumes no sustenance or liquids other than water. Individuals engage in water fasting to reduce body weight or blood pressure.
