The Five-Day Diet - The Diet Found to Rejuvenate the Body by Two and a Half Years.

Studies have found that the five-day fasting-mimicking diet may reverse biological age, reduce body fat, and more.

Diet fads come and go, but occasionally one comes along that turns heads.
The five-day fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) is one such exception.
Recent studies have found that this dietary program may reduce a person's biological age by about two and a half years.

So what is the five-day FMD diet?
It is a program designed to mimic the effects of fasting while allowing for some food intake.
It was developed by the laboratory of Professor Valter Longo at the Leonard Davis School.
As the name suggests, it involves consuming a low-calorie, low-protein, and low-carbohydrate diet for five consecutive days.

During these five days, those following it can expect to eat plant-based soups, energy bars, energy drinks, chip snacks, and tea, as well as supplements providing high levels of minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids.

The short duration of the diet makes it easier and more convenient than longer diet periods.

The program is designed for periodic cycles, from once every two weeks to a cycle every few months.
Unlike traditional fasting, FMD provides controlled intake of essential nutrients, allowing people to experience some of the benefits of fasting while receiving vital nutritional components.

This feature reduces concerns associated with long-term fasting, such as nutrient deficiencies.
So what are the health benefits of FMD?
In a first-of-its-kind study published in the journal Nature Communications, FMD was found to lower a person's biological age by a median of two and a half years.

FMD cycles reduced signs of immune system aging, as well as insulin resistance and fatty liver in humans,
and also reduced risks of age-related diseases, as a result of the decrease in biological age.

This follows previous research that examined the effects of FMD on markers and risk factors related to aging and age-related diseases.
Subjects who performed FMD for five consecutive days per month for three consecutive months reduced body weight and total body fat,
lowered blood pressure, and reduced serum IGF-1 levels (in this case not necessarily positive) - a hormone essential for tissue and bone growth.

Studies on humans suggest that FMD may improve cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment - a precursor to Alzheimer's.
But more research is needed in this area.
Another study found that FMD reduced signs of dementia in mice.

Animal studies indicate that fasting can reduce levels of amyloid beta in the brain,
a key component of amyloid plaques (folded proteins play a central role in Alzheimer's).

A new weapon in the fight against cancer?
In recent years, researchers have examined the use of the fasting-mimicking diet in cancer treatment to potentially slow tumor growth,
and make them more sensitive to chemotherapy in certain types of cancer, such as colorectal cancer.

In the first clinical trial in humans, an FMD-like diet was found to reduce sugar and other substances in the blood that may feed cancer cells and enhance the anti-tumor response.

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References:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-45260-9?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=CONR_PF018_ECOM_GL_PHSS_ALWYS_DEEPLINK&utm_content=textlink&utm_term=PID100093539&CJEVENT=2f132a85f29d11ee822e03ce0a18b8fb
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6816332/