Scientists have proven the anti-aging effect of a fasting-mimicking diet

This diet speeds up the process of removing unwanted cells from the body

A diet that imitates the effect of fasting, but does not force you to starve yourself. It sounds fantastic, but this way of eating really exists. A similar diet is prescribed to people with foot and mouth disease. Studies have shown that if you adhere to this diet, it can extend a person’s life by years.

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Researchers found that people who followed a fasting-mimicking diet for 15 days reduced their biological age by an average of more than two years.

Tests also showed they had a lower risk development of diabetes, heart disease and stroke, based on biomarkers in their blood.

The FMD diet involves eating less than 1,000 calories consisting of lean foods, soups, energy drinks and supplements.

Experts say the diet tricks the body into thinking it is starving by releasing enzymes and other chemicals in the body , which are associated with longevity.

Valter Longo, a biologist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, noted: “This is the first study to show that a food intervention that does not require significant changes in diet or lifestyle can make people biologically younger.”

The diet used in the study included three “foot and mouth” feeding cycles for five days. On day one, trial participants ate 1,100 calories, and on days two through five, they consumed about 720 calories per day. Their diet these days also consisted of healthy chips and tea.

On the first day, the diet should include 34% carbohydrates, 10% protein and 56% fat. In the following days – 7% carbohydrates, 9% protein and 44% fat. Participants then had to follow their usual diet for 25 days.

Both groups included men and women aged 18 to 70.

After three months, researchers analyzed blood samples from the participants , which showed that patients in the group with the “foot and mouth disease” diet had lower risk factors for diabetes, including less insulin resistance and lower blood sugar.

The MRI also showed a reduction in the amount of abdominal fat and liver fat, which is associated with a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome, which increases the likelihood of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Previous studies have shown that FMD diet cycles may even reduce risk factors for cancer.

The diet also led to an increase in the ratio of lymphoid to myeloid cells in participants, which is an indicator of a younger immune system.

Further analysis showed that study participants reduced their biological age by an average of 2.5 years.

Researchers believe that this diet has a “rejuvenating effect on the immune system.” In previous studies in mice, the diet caused a “rejuvenation of the blood profile.”

The FMD diet also puts cells throughout the body into a protected “anti-aging mode.” — an effect that persists even after fasting. The body has what are called nutrient sensing pathways that control autophagy — a kind of “housekeeping” body cells. The process of autophagy occurs constantly in our body and removes unwanted byproducts of cellular processes. The more autophagy that occurs, the better you feel and the lower your risk of future health problems.

The FMD diet speeds up autophagy, so the body releases more byproducts and «bad» products. cells that cause disease and aging.