Fasting as a way to improve health and lose weight is nothing new. In fact, this practice has been practiced for centuries by different cultures and religions. However, in recent years, science has begun Uncover the mechanisms by which fasting can have beneficial effects on the body, some of which go beyond weight loss and health.
Diet courses that mimic fasting can Reducing signs of aging of the immune system, As well as insulin resistance and fatty liver in humans, which translates into reduced biological age, according to a new study led by the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California (USC) in the United States.
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications. It adds to the body of evidence supporting the beneficial effects of a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD, for its abbreviation in English). It is a five-day diet that is high in unsaturated fats and low in calories, protein and carbohydrates. It is designed to mimic the effects of water-only fasting, while providing the necessary nutrients and making it easier for people to complete the fast.
“This is the first study to show that a food-based intervention does not require chronic changes in diet or lifestyle “It can rejuvenate people biologically, based on changes in risk factors for aging and disease and on a validated method developed by Levin's group to assess biological age,” explains school professor Leonard Davis of the University of Southern California Valter Longo, author of the diet.
Previous research by Longo has indicated this Short cyclic courses of FMD are associated with a number of beneficial effects: It can promote stem cell regeneration, reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and reduce signs of dementia in mice. next to, FMD courses can reduce risk factors for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other age-related diseases in humans.
Longo's lab too It was previously shown that one or two five-day courses of FMD per month increased the healthy lifespan and life expectancy of mice. While following a normal or Western diet, the effects of this diet on aging, biological age, fatty liver, and aging of the immune system in humans have not yet been known.
The study looked at the effects of diet in two groups of clinical trials, each including men and women between the ages of 18 and 70. Patients randomly assigned underwent a fasting-mimicking diet 3 or 4 menstrual cycles, Follow FMD for 5 days, then follow a normal diet for 25 days.
Foot-and-mouth disease consists of Vegetable soup, energy bars, energy drinks, potato chip snacks and split tea for 5 daysIn addition to a supplement that provides high levels of Minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids. Patients in the control groups were instructed to follow a normal or Mediterranean diet.
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