University of Southern California researchers found that a fasting-mimicking diet reduced signs of aging in the immune system, insulin resistance and fatty liver deposits in humans, slowing biological aging. The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Communications.
The fasting-mimicking diet, or FMD, is a five-day low-calorie diet high in unsaturated fat and low in protein and carbohydrates. It is designed to mimic the effects of fasting when a person only drinks water, but still provides the body with the nutrients it needs.
One or two sessions of the diet per month have been shown to increase the lifespan and improve the quality of health of mice that were initially fed a normal diet or an equivalent Western diet high in fat and carbohydrates.
The new research looked at the effects of fasting on two groups of people aged 18 to 70. One of the groups underwent 3-4 monthly sessions and then ate normally for 25 days. The regimen includes specific meat-free foods, including plant-based soups, energy bars and drinks, snacks and tea, which are divided into five daily portions.
In addition, the diet is supplemented to ensure high levels of minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids.
Patients in the control group were advised to follow a regular or Mediterranean diet.
It turned out that the fasting-mimicking diet helped reduce the participants’ biological age by an average of 2.5 years. It also reduces the impact of diabetes risk factors, insulin resistance and the amount of abdominal fat in the liver. There was also an increase in the ratio of lymphoid to myeloid cells, an indicator of a younger immune system.
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