It sounds too good to be true. It’s a five-day diet that not only promises a slimmer body, but also exciting possibilities like a longer lifespan, better heart health, and less inflammation.
Dubbed the fasting-mimicking diet because it allows you to eat while providing all the benefits of fasting, including eliminating belly fat and cholesterol, the five-day diet was created by biogerontologist and director of the Longevity Institute, Prof Valter Longo. at the University of Southern California.
Five-day “fasting” has already been shown to slow aging in animal studies, but now these benefits have been replicated in humans.
Tests of 100 study participants who followed this regimen for three or four months, dieting for five days and then eating normally for another 25 days, showed that their cells and immune systems acted more youthfully. Further analysis of blood samples revealed that their biological age had returned by two and a half years.
It supports cellular regeneration and longevity when the body goes into fasting mode. Our bodies are built to fast (“it’s literally why we carry body fat,” says Dr. Jason Fung, nephrologist, fasting expert, and author of The Obesity Code), and humans have been fasting for thousands of years, but most of us can’t fast for long periods of time, drinking nothing but water. and yet he cannot live a normal life.
That’s where the “fast copy diet” comes in: A way to get the same results as a full fast, but crucially, with the advantage of eating something. “The Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) makes it easier for people to fast for longer [five days] because there is some structure and some food,” explains Dr. Fung.
Prof Longo’s research led to the discovery of exactly how our cells sense food; From there, she created a custom low-calorie meal plan.
The five-day diet ranges from 1100 calories on day one to 800 calories on days two through five; It consists of foods that are plant-based, low in sugar, low in protein and contain a research-backed nutritional composition.
This combination puts the body into fasting mode, which means you utilize fat cells for fuel and consume old dead cells; This process is known as autophagy.
How does fasting attack belly fat?
Its benefits for our waist circumference are particularly striking. Prof Longo says fasting attacks belly fat without affecting lean muscle (unlike most other diets, which he says will “cause loss of fat, water, sometimes lean muscle and bone density”). “The general population loses, on average, 5-6 lbs of weight, mostly fat, after three five-day cycles of FMD,” he adds.
His special diet, called Pro-Lon (short for “longevity”), was awarded the first patent in history for “Promotion of Longevity and Health” and has been subject to over a decade of research in both animals and humans, with papers examining the effects of this diet . He has been published in various scientific journals on a variety of health topics, from the impact of foot and mouth disease on aging to cancer. A published study found that those who followed ProLon five days a month for three months, in addition to losing body weight — especially belly fat — saw decreases in blood pressure and cholesterol, with levels decreasing along with an increase in stem cell production. The amount of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), a hormone linked to cancer risk when elevated.
There are currently several clinical trials ongoing to look at how it might help cancer patients, which Prof Longo describes as “very promising”.
“Having completed or helped complete several clinical trials, I know that multiple annual cycles of FMD can have very beneficial effects on risk factors for aging and disease,” says Prof Valter, who also wrote the book The Longevity. Diet. With almost two-thirds of us in the UK now either overweight or obese, could this be the answer to the UK’s obesity time bomb? “FMD can be excellent for weight management, especially since it does not require undesirable changes in daily diet and can be done when the person is ready to do so,” he adds.
For those who prefer real food, UK-based nutritional therapist Rhian Stephenson has designed a program based on FMD principles (plant-based, low-calorie) that offers recipes you can cook yourself. Her five-day “fast” includes regular recorded yoga sessions, as well as smoothies, quinoa salads and mushroom zucchini-pasta dinners. “Because we reduced calories and kept the nutrient density high, people reported having much more energy than they expected,” she says.
“This is a short, controlled period of calorie restriction combined with rest and food designed to promote repair, microbial health, and promote healthy blood sugar,” explains Stephenson. The main difference between a fasting diet and other calorie-restricted diets is that they do not contain enough protein to trigger cellular repair. They showed that FMD activates nTOR, a pathway that regulates autophagy, the self-cleaning process. “It’s also designed to keep insulin and blood sugar levels below a certain baseline so the body can tap into fat stores for fuel and activate cellular regeneration pathways.”
Mum-of-three Eliza Jenkins, 46, who has a stressful job as a solicitor, tried the online ‘5 Day Cleanse’ program (available at artah.co.uk) and said she felt surprisingly good about it. “I really had a huge surge of energy on day three and I’ve felt more energetic ever since, even though it was months ago.” It had other benefits as well; half a pound weight loss. “My skin felt and looked great, and my digestion really improved too. I felt great.”
Benefits of FMD over IF
We are becoming more accustomed to the concept of fasting; intermittent fasting (IF), such as the 5:2 diet, particularly popularized by Dr Michael Mosley, or the 16:8 diet, in which dieters limit their meals to an eight-hour window. In recent years IF has become the fourth most popular diet plan in the UK, with an average of 134,000 searches per month. It’s not just a fad: A systematic review of 40 studies found that intermittent fasting is effective for weight loss, with a typical loss of 7-11 lbs over 10 weeks.
But proponents of the fasting-mimicking diet say it may achieve better results than IF alone, especially for middle-aged women who may lead stressful lives and combine stress with high-intensity exercise, which raises the body’s cortisol and leads to more inflammation. “Intermittent fasting, when done correctly, can be a useful tool to help maintain or lose weight, support digestion, and optimize energy,” says Stephenson. “But in my experience, a large proportion of people who use IF also engage in other intense activities, such as high-intensity exercise, excessive work stress, and nutritional stress from socializing or going out, and they rely on IF as a magic bullet.”
Instead of intense exercise, Stephenson recommends walking and gentle yoga, along with a five-day strict diet. The idea here is to support the body during the repair process. “It’s not just about weight loss and calories in and calories out, you’re looking at cellular repair.”
Prof Longo adds: “We know [from research] It turns out that daily fasting of 16 hours or longer, especially if it involves skipping breakfast, is associated with a shorter, not longer, lifespan and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and other conditions. So, in my view, people should consider two to four fasting-mimicking diet cycles a year and fast for 12 hours a day, not 16 hours.
ProLon meal kits, which include dehydrated soup mixes, nut bars, olive sachets, kale flax crackers, supplements and herbal teas, consist of specific calorie counts and contain more than 70 different vitamins, but cost £199 for five days ( prolon.co. uk).
While easy to follow — and the company has plenty of positive reviews from customers online — the problem with prepared food bags is that it’s hard to learn long-term healthy habits. Critics of the plan include Prof Tim Spector, who says “FMD is gaining popularity as a fad diet rather than an evidence-based diet and lifestyle change”.
However, it’s entirely possible to do a diet-mimicking five-day fast yourself, without investing in pre-made food packs. Focus on high-quality plant-based proteins, mainly from nuts (18-25g maximum per day), healthy fats and vegetables, and keep your calories around 800 per day.
“You’ll want to include some high-potency foods rich in polyphenols, like green tea and turmeric,” says Stephenson.
However, it is not recommended to jump into the five-day diet without some preparation. According to Stephenson, you not only need to clear your social calendar (if you’re not meeting friends regularly for a cup of bone broth), but you also need to cut out excess sugar as well as refined carbohydrates and ultra-processed foods for two weeks ahead of time. . A week before the fast, cut out all sugar, alcohol and red meat.
How often you simulate fasting in a year depends on the results you want to achieve. Prof Longo recommends using it once a month for three months and then whenever you feel the need. Stephenson says he recommends doing the cleanse every three months for “significant weight loss,” but for maintenance, doing it once or twice a year is enough to not only provide long-term health benefits to your body but also “to help you feel better.” He says it is. Be more aware of your eating habits.”
fasting tips
Empty the cupboards
Make sure there are no temptations lying around and only the supplies you need every day.
don’t do this alone
Join a group (Artah has an online community, ProLon has a Facebook group) or do it with a friend to keep your spirits up.
Replenish your salts
When we fast, we lose electrolytes, which can cause headaches, mood swings, and fatigue. To replenish them, Stephenson first recommends a pinch of sea salt or a teaspoon of the Cellular Hydration product (£32; artah.co), which contains inulin and Peruvian maca root, into the water.
Don’t quit caffeine
“Small amounts of black coffee and tea are good for 16:8, IF and FMD, and have also been shown to increase ketones,” says Stephenson.
Get more rest
Fasting is a time to stop high-intensity workouts and strength training, but low-intensity movements such as walking or gentle yoga can help keep cortisol levels low.
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