Dr. Valter Longo is a biogerontologist who created the fasting-mimicking diet (FMD).
In studies, the fasting-mimicking diet has been shown to:
- Lower PhenoAge biological age score by 2.5 years in 3 months
- Regenerate parts of the immune system
- Reduce insulin resistance
- Lower liver fat
- Reduce IGF-1 signaling
- Improve cardiometabolic health
In a 2024 Nature Communications study, researchers analyzed data from randomized controlled trials of the fasting-mimicking diet.
After just 3 monthly cycles, participants saw a 2.5 year reduction in their PhenoAge score (PMID: 38378685). This result was independent of weight loss.
PhenoAge is a validated biological age score based on 9 blood biomarkers and chronological age.
Researchers then calculated biological age using PhenoAge. It has been shown to strongly predict mortality (PMID: 29676998).
The participants of the FMD also saw improvements in risk factors for cardiovascular disease:
- systolic blood pressure
- waist circumference
- body fat
- IGF-1, which at high levels is associated with cancer risk
Middle-aged and older athletes, especially those who exercise for over 2000 MET-min/week, have significantly higher coronary artery calcification scores than controls (PMID: 28465287; PMID: 28450347)
People with a higher VO2 max and better cardiorespiratory fitness still have lower rates of cardiovascular disease events across all levels of calcification (PMID: 29343464)
Those with a VO2 max over >50 see attenuation in risk compared to those with a VO2 max of <45
The craziest study ever - The Minnesota Starvation Experiment
32 young men were put on a 40% calorie-restricted diet for 6 months, while staying physically very active
They lost 25% of their body weight by the end of it
Here's what this study contributed to longevity research
The men were fed 1,800 calories a day and expended 3,000 calories on physical activity
Their diet consisted of 77% carbohydrates, primarily from potatoes, cabbage, macaroni, and whole wheat bread, and <0.8 g/kg/day of protein to mimic starvation conditions
Keys monitored their health and saw their resting heart rate dropping from 55 to 35 beats per minute
They also developed edema from all the water they drank to stave off hunger
And the whites of their eyes became white like porcelain due to shrinking blood vessels in the eye