What diet imitates fasting and to what extent is it capable of turning back the biological clock?

It is known that the decrease calorie intake or making changes to your daily diet may help healthy aging. But Most people who are overweight or obese have difficulty maintaining chronic and extreme diets.which, in addition, can lead to potentially adverse consequences.

V USA, a new study provides evidence for a strategy that may lead to higher adherence. They call it “diet “Imitation of starvation (Foot and mouth disease)” What Low in calories, sugar and protein, but high in unsaturated fat.

Research published in the journal Natural communication, found that fasting-mimicking diet cycles may reduce signs of aging immune system, as well as insulin resistance and liver fat in humans. This leads to a lower biological age.

The diet was developed by the laboratory of School Professor Leonard Davis. University of Southern California, Valter Longo, lead author of the new study and known as the “longevity guru.” This may have advantages, but It is not indicated for all people.

The so-called “fasting mimicking diet” consists of a five-day diet high in unsaturated fats and low in calories, protein and carbohydrates.

It is designed to mimic the effects of a water-only fast, while providing essential nutrients and making it easier for people to complete the fast.

Previous studies have shown that this diet, in short and intermittent cycles, has these advantages:

• Promote stem cell regeneration
• Reduce the side effects of chemotherapy
• Reduce signs of dementia in mice
• With multiple cycles, risk factors for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other age-related diseases can be reduced in people.

Now they have conducted “the first study demonstrating that a nutritional intervention that does not require chronic changes in diet or lifestyle can biologically rejuvenate people based on both changes in aging risk factors and disease, as in a proven method developed by a team of scientists Morgan Levin to estimate biological age,” Longo said.

He and his team previously showed that one or two cycles of foot-and-mouth disease, five days a month, increased the health and lifespan of mice fed a normal or Western diet. But until now, the impact of foot and mouth disease on aging and biological age, liver fat and the aging human immune system was unknown.

The study analyzed the effects of the diet on two populations through clinical trials, each involving men and women aged 18 to 70 years. Patients randomly assigned to a fasting-mimicking diet underwent 3 or 4 monthly cycles. They were monitored for foot and mouth disease for 5 days and then followed a normal diet for 25 days.

The fasting mimicking diet consists of vegetable soups, energy bars, energy drinks, potato chip snacks and tea in portions for 5 days, along with supplements that provide high levels of minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids. Patients in the control group were advised to follow a regular or Mediterranean diet.

Analysis of the participants’ blood samples showed that patients in the foot-and-mouth disease group had fewer risk factors for diabetes, including lower insulin resistance and lower blood test results. glycosylated hemoglobin HbA1c

.

The MRI also revealed a decrease in the amount of abdominal fat as well as liver fat, improvements associated with a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome. Additionally, FMD cycles appear to increase the ratio of lymphoid to myeloid cells, which is an indicator of a younger immune system.

Further statistical analysis of the results of both clinical studies showed that participants’ FMD decreased biological age -a measure of the functioning of human cells and tissues, as opposed to chronological age- on average for 2.5 years.

“This study is the first to demonstrate evidence of biological age reduction from two different clinical trials, accompanied by evidence of rejuvenation of metabolic and immune function,” Longo said.

The results further support the fasting mimicking diet as a regular, short-term dietary intervention that can help people reduce their risk of disease and improve their health without major lifestyle changes, Longo said.

“Although many doctors already recommend it in the US and EuropeThese results should encourage many more health care providers to recommend FMD treatments to patients with higher-than-desired levels of risk factors for the disease, as well as to the general population who may be interested in improving function at a younger age,” Longo said. who is also the founder and owner of a company that sells health products.

consulted Information, Marianela Aguirre Ackermanmember of the scientific subcommittee Argentine Nutrition Society, commented on the study: “This latest fasting-mimicking diet study demonstrates that biomarkers associated with age and visceral and liver fat improve, among other benefits. But we also have to consider its limitations.”

The study included a limited sample of healthy participants (50 in each group). “They used commercial products made by a company owned by the authors. This may create bias. The study lasted only 3 months. Therefore, these are short-term results. And the results were compared with the group that continued to follow their usual diet,” the doctor emphasized.

According to Aguirre Ackerman, fasting-mimicking diets and other intermittent fasting variations “may be an option for healthy people looking to lose weight and improve their metabolic profile and overall health.” “This is especially helpful for those who prefer to limit when they eat rather than strictly count calories.”

However, such diets are not suitable for everyone. “This is inconvenient for growing children and adolescents who have nutritional needs that must be continually met. Not for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as during this time a constant intake of calories and nutrients is needed to ensure the well-being of the baby and themselves.”

They are also contraindicated for people with eating disorders or a history of disorders, as they should avoid practices that involve strict restrictions. And people with chronic medical conditions, such as type 1 diabetes, heart disease, or other chronic conditions, should first consult a doctor.