New Study Finds That Scientifically-Designed Fasting Diet Reduces Risks For Major Diseases

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A recent study conducted on 71 adults who were placed on three cycles of a low-calorie, fasting-mimicking diet found that it is possible to lose weight and reduce risks of life-threatening disease without any changes in diet. The researchers noted that the only change is a five-day special diet once every few months.

The phase II study, which was conducted by researchers at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology found a lot of benefits from the regimen. They discovered that the diet reduced cardiovascular risk factors including blood pressure, signs of inflammation, fasting glucose and also the levels of IGF-1 - a hormone that affects metabolism.

The regimen also reduced the waistlines and resulted in weight loss, in both total body fat and trunk fat, but did not extend to muscle mass. Consequentially, the new fasting mimicking diet also reduced the risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other age-related diseases in the study participants, according to Medical Express.

"This study provides evidence that people can experience significant health benefits through a periodic, fasting-mimicking diet that is designed to act on the aging process," director of the USC Longevity Institute and professor of biological sciences at USC Davis and Dornsife, Valter Longo said.

He added that previous studies have found numerous health benefits in mice, but this is the first randomized clinical study with so many participants to show that the diet is feasible, effective and safe for humans.

The current study was conducted on 100 people from April 2013 to July 2015, who were between the age of 20 and 70. All the participants were reported to be generally healthy and were randomly divided into two groups. The researchers asked the participants in the first group, which was the control group to continue their normal eating habits for the next three months.

Meanwhile, the researchers placed the participants in the second group on a three-month test of the fasting-mimicking diet. The participants on the fasting mimicking diet were asked to eat food produced by the nutrition company called L-Nutra during the fasting periods of five days every month.

The diet, which is originally designed to mimic the results of a water-only fast, made it possible for the participants to consume between 750 and 1,100 calories a day. The meals for the diet contained certain proportions of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The researchers moved the participants in the control group to the special diet group after three months.

Amazingly, the study authors discovered that the participants on the fast-mimicking diet group lost an average of 6 pounds with their waistlines shrinking by up to 2 inches. The systolic blood pressure of the participants, which was in a normal range at the commencement of the study, was reported to have dropped by about 4.5 mmHG and their diastolic blood pressure dropped by 3.1 mmHg, according to Eurekalert.

The researchers also found the levels of IGF-1 in the participants dropped to between 21.7 ng/mL and 46.2 ng/mL. These levels are said to have reached a range that is associated with lower cancer risk. However, larger FDA studies are required to confirm the effects of the fasting mimicking diet on the prevention and treatment of diseases. The researchers published their findings in Science Translational Medicine.

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