Dr. Longo's trick, the longevity sage, to rejuvenate two and a half years in 12 months

The key would be to alternate cycles that combine five days of diet that mimics fasting with another 25 days of normal eating.

Living longer and healthier is one of the main goals of contemporary science. It is known that lifestyle tends to determine multiple aspects of this life expectancy, but there are certain dietary patterns that seem to contribute more and better than others.

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications, by Valter Longo's team at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, presents an innovative approach. It would involve 'fasting-like diet cycles' or 'fasting-mimicking diet' (FMD) to reduce aging and extend life.

In this case, the researchers suggest that these cycles of a fasting-like diet or FMD could reduce the signs of aging of the immune system. Also insulin resistance and the risk of fatty liver, resulting in a lower biological age.

The FMD would consist of a five-day diet rich in unsaturated fats and low in calories, protein and carbohydrates in general. This diet, developed by Valter Longo himself and his colleagues, is specifically designed to mimic the effects of a water-only fast, while still providing the nutrients necessary for life.

“This is the first study to demonstrate that a food-based intervention that does not require chronic dietary or lifestyle changes can make people biologically younger,” explains Longo. “We relied on changes in aging risk factors and disease risk, as well as Levine's validated method for assessing biological age.”

In previous studies, Longo's team had already determined that short, periodic cycles of FMD would be associated with various benefits, such as stem cell regeneration, a reduction in the side effects of chemotherapy, and even a reduction in the signs of dementia in mice.

In addition, these fasting-mimicking cycles would also reduce risk factors for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases related to aging in humans.

They have also shown that one or two five-day cycles of FMD each month increase life expectancy and health in mice on a standard diet. However, their effects on aging, biological age, liver fat and immune system aging in humans were still unknown.

The new clinical trials evaluated the effects of the diet in two populations, each with men and women aged 18 to 70 years. Those randomized to the fasting-mimicking diet underwent cycles for three to four months, adhering to the FMD for 5 days, then feeding a normal diet for 25 days. In total they underwent three to four cycles.

The fasting-mimicking diet consisted of plant-based soups, energy bars, energy drinks, snacks and tea in 5-day servings, as well as a supplement providing high levels of minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids. The control group, on the other hand, followed a normal or Mediterranean-style diet.

According to analyses of the participants' blood samples, those who ate an FMD-type diet had lower risk factors for diabetes, such as lower insulin resistance and lower levels of HbA1c or glycosylated hemoglobin. Magnetic resonance imaging detected lower abdominal fat and lower liver fat, which is associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome.

Finally, an increased lymphoid-to-myeloid ratio, an indicator of a younger immune system, was also detected. In a subsequent more detailed statistical analysis of these results, it was found that those who had followed the fasting-mimicking diet cycles had reduced their biological age by 2.5 years on average, compared to their actual chronological age.

“This study shows for the first time that there is evidence of biological age reduction, in two different clinical trials, accompanied by evidence of rejuvenation of metabolic and immune function,” concludes Longo. “While many physicians already recommend FMD in the United States and Europe, these findings should encourage many more practitioners to recommend fasting-like diet cycles in patients with chronic disease risk factors, as well as the general population who may be interested in rejuvenating their immune and metabolic function.”

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