Eating little, especially in the context of a low-calorie diet, has been associated with better health and longevity in several studies, primarily in animal models, but also in some in humans, such as a study conducted by the Center for Aging. the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, which revealed that calorie restriction can slow the rate of aging in healthy adults.
Now, a new study led by the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology has shown that the fasting mimicking diet (FMD) reduces signs of aging of the immune system, as well as resistance. to insulin and fat in the liver in humans, leading to a lower biological age.
FMD was developed by the laboratory of USC Professor Valter Longo Leonard Davis, lead author of the study. It is a five-day diet rich in unsaturated fats and low in calories, proteins and carbohydrates, designed to simulate the effects of a water-only fast, but providing the necessary nutrients and making it easy to follow. It consists of plant-based soups, energy bars, energy drinks, chip snacks and tea, distributed for 5 days, as well as a supplement with high levels of minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids.
“This study shows for the first time evidence of reduction in biological age in two different clinical trials, accompanied by signs of rejuvenation in metabolic and immune functions,” says Longo. His results have been published in Nature Communications and provide further evidence demonstrating the positive effects of FMD.
Reduce the risk of diseases and rejuvenate the immune system
Longo’s previous research indicated that short, periodic courses of FMD are associated with a number of beneficial effects, including encouraging stem cell regeneration, reducing chemotherapy side effects, and decreasing signs of dementia in mice, as well as reducing risk factors for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other diseases related to aging in humans.
Longo’s lab had also previously shown that one or two cycles of FMD for 5 days per month increased longevity and health in mice on normal or Western diets, but the effects of FMD on aging and biological age, Liver fat and the aging of the immune system in humans were unknown until now.
The researchers analyzed the effects of the diet in two clinical trial populations, including men and women between 18 and 70 years old. Patients randomized to the FMD diet followed 3-4 monthly cycles, adhering to the FMD for 5 days and then following a normal diet for 25 days. Patients in the control groups were instructed to follow a normal or Mediterranean diet.
“This is the first study to show that a food-based intervention, which does not require chronic dietary or lifestyle changes, can make people biologically younger.”
Analysis of participants’ blood samples revealed that those in the FMD group had lower risk factors for diabetes, including less insulin resistance and better HbA1c results. The MRI also showed a decrease in abdominal and liver fat, improvements associated with a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome. Additionally, FMD cycles appeared to increase the lymphoid to myeloid ratio, an indicator of a younger immune system.
Further statistical analysis of the results of both clinical studies showed that participants in the FMD group had a reduction in biological age – a measure of how one’s cells and tissues function, as opposed to chronological age – 2. 5 years on average.
“This is the first study to demonstrate that a food-based intervention, which does not require chronic dietary or lifestyle changes, can make people biologically younger, based on both changes in risk factors for aging and disease. , as in a validated method developed by Levine’s group to assess biological age,” Longo said.
This study adds evidence to the potential of FMD as a short-term, periodic dietary intervention that is affordable and can help people reduce their risk of developing diseases and improve their health without making long-term lifestyle changes, Longo said. .
“Although many doctors are already recommending FMD in the United States and Europe, these findings should encourage many more healthcare professionals to recommend FMD courses to patients with higher than desired levels of disease risk factors, as well as to the general population interested in improving their function and rejuvenating,” Longo concluded.
