I’ve been interested in fasting and related concepts for a long time because of the potential for major health improvement. Research continues to show promising benefits. For years I’ve been fascinated by the work of Dr. Valter Longo on the topic of fasting and how to use it to increase our odds of a long, healthy life.
I had the honor of interviewing him on the Wellness Mama podcast (listen here), so today I thought I’d share all I’ve learned about his method of fasting called the Fasting Mimicking Diet.
His approach allows you to get the benefits of fasting, without skipping meals. Interested? Read on!
Dr. Longo is the Director of the Longevity Institute and a professor who studies how aging affects the body and biological sciences at the University of Southern California. His research has focused on longevity, fasting, aging, and metabolic disease. Based on his extensive research, he created a protocol known as the Fasting Mimicking Diet or FMD. Today we’re going to discuss what it is and the benefits it might have to offer you.
The Fasting Mimicking Diet came out of Dr. Longo’s research of nearly two decades. The diet focuses first on the genes that control how the body ages and responds to disease. The concept is that lifespan and healthspan can be increased by supporting the expression of these genes.
First, let’s review some of the different types of fasting before we try to understand how FMD works and why it is different.
There is a lot of misinformation on the internet and elsewhere about fasting: what it is, what it isn’t, and how to go about it. As fasting has gained popularity, it has also become less correctly understood. Dr. Longo is one of the world’s top experts on the subject of fasting.
Dr. Longo’s biggest fasting truth is that “fasting” in and of itself doesn’t mean anything. You can say “eating” and it doesn’t actually tell anyone anything about your diet. The same is true for fasting because there are so many different ways and types to go about it.
Fasting in many forms almost always means calorie restriction in some way. Many types of fasting will induce ketosis due to lower caloric intake and often lower carbohydrates.
Some types of fasting include:
Dr. Longo explains that, as with many things, there are positives and negatives about all types of fasting. Not all types are good for everyone, so it’s never a good idea to just do something on your own without personalized advice from your healthcare provider.