Lots of research, and therefore news, is coming out about a type of dieting that mimics fasting, but only lasts for 4 days. Why is it so good? The Fasting Mimicking Diet cuts belly fat and boosts neural cell regeneration.
New research by USC’s Valter Longo shows that the FMD diet cuts visceral belly fat, elevates the number of progenitor and stem cells in several organs of old mice, including the brain where it boosted cell regeneration and improved learning and memory.
The tests were then taken to humans and Longo found evidence that the results would be the same.
So How Does FMD Work?
The Fasting-Mimicking Diet is very specific, not in what you in but how you eat. When the study switched to humans, there was a control group and a FMD group. The total monthly calorie intake was the same for both groups, indicating the effects were not the result of dietary restriction.
The basics of the FMD diet are this:
For 4 consecutive days slash your caloric intake 34-54 percent.
Do this once every 2-3 months.
For the other 26 days in the month, the participants in the study went back to their normal eating habits – good or bad. They saw positive results. Longo has tried fasting and the fasting mimicking diet, and found the FMD is much easier and a lot safer.
Promotes Longevity
“Strict fasting is hard for people to stick to, and it can also be dangerous, so we developed a complex diet that triggers the same effects in the body,” says Longo, professor of biogerontology at the USC Davis School of Gerontology and director of the USC Longevity Sciences.
The diet, which has a specific makeup of proteins, carbs, fats, and micronutrients, decreases a hormone that has been linked to aging and cancer susceptibility. It also reduced biomarkers and risk factors linked to the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Longo has shown that fasting can starve out cancer cells, but suggests that it not is healthy for everyone to fast. Diabetics on insulin, metformin, or other medication should not fast or participate in FMD. People with a body mass index less than 18 should not fast or practice FMD. Women at risk of gallstones should not fast.
Reprogram Your Body
“Not everyone is healthy enough to fast for five days, and the health consequences can be severe for a few who do it improperly,” Longo says. “It’s about reprogramming the body so it enters a slower aging mode, but also rejuvenating it through stem cell-based regeneration. It’s not a typical diet because it isn’t something you need to stay on.”
For most, the FMD can be done every 3-6 months, depending on health. For obese people or those with elevated disease risk factors, the FMD could be recommended as often as once every two weeks.
While I’m pretty skeptical about diets, this one doesn’t tell you what to eat and what not to eat, and that’s a good start. I for one will not be trying this diet as I am diabetic. But I encourage you to give it a shot, and let us know how it goes.
SOURCE: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-diet-mimics-fasting-aging.html
