Not strictly fasting, just mimicking it.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: New research led by University of Southern California – Los Angeles (USC’s) Valter Longo shows that intermittently adopting a diet that mimics the effects of fasting may yield a wide range of health benefits.
In the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, the researchers looked at the effectiveness of periodic fasting on aging-related factors in yeast, mice and humans, according to Time.
The results indicated occasional bursts of low-calorie dieting improved health, notably in areas that worsen with age. In the mice study, the researchers had the animals consume a four-day low-calorie diet that mimics fasting (FMD) and found that it cut visceral belly fat, improved their metabolism, decreased bone loss, improved cognitive function, lowered cancer incidence and extended their 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,” Professor Valter Longo, USC Davis School of Gerontology and director of the USC Longevity Institute, told The Telegraph.
Day one of the diet is comprised of 10 per cent protein, 56 per cent fat and 34 per cent carbohydrate, adding up to 1,090 calories. Days two to five entail nine per cent protein, 44 per cent fat and 47 per cent carbohydrate, totaling 725 calories.
When humans tested out the regimen, within three months they had reduced biomarkers linked to ageing, diabetes, cancer and heart disease as well as cutting overall body fat.
For 25 days out of each month, study participants went back to their regular eating habits whether they were decently healthy or not. The subjects, who were not asked to change their diet, still saw positive changes, noted The Telegraph.
“If the results remain as positive as the current ones, I believe this FMD will represent the first safe and effective intervention to promote positive changes associated with longevity and health span, which can be recommended by a physician,” Longo told Medical Xpress. “We will soon meet with FDA officers to pursue several FDA claims for disease prevention and treatment.”
1 Comment
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The only way to loose weight is to limit the calorie intake and make sure the calories are used up properly in your body, so that you are able to get your body shape back and that is what was recommended by lisa plog. Just search for “lisa plog diet plans” and you will get her blog.