Fasting Mimicking Diet

What is a Fasting Mimicking Diet?

Fast mimicking is a type of modified fasting. Instead of abstaining from food completely like a traditional fast, you still consume small amounts of food in a way that produces the therapeutic benefits of fasting.

A fast mimicking diet typically lasts about five days and follows a healthy protocol low in carbs, protein, and calories and high in fat. Calories are kept at around 40% of normal intake. This allows the body to stay nourished with nutrients and electrolytes will less stress than normal fasting—but still receiving the same benefits.

Long-term calorie restriction and long-term fasting can harmful, but fast mimicking is safer and more effective.

Who Created the Fasting Mimicking Diet?

The highly regarded Dr. Valter Longo (University of Southern California Longevity Institute — one of the world’s leading biomedical and longevity research centers) was funded by NIH/NIA. His test subjects reported increased and enhanced longevity, overall fat reduction, improved blood markers, reduced blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, and improved vitality.

Fasting Mimicking and Intermittent Fasting vs Continuous Calorie Restriction

Fasting has many iterations, including:

Continuous calorie restriction: Reducing intake of calorie needs by 25%. Reduces aging and increases longevity. Studies show that people could only reduce their calorie intakes by 12% on average.

Alternate day/Intermittent fasting: Has benefits, however some may tolerate this method better than others. One downside is that it’s not been fully explored.

Prolonged nighttime fasting: Reported to be easy to adopt, minimally disruptive.

Fasting Mimicking: Fasting for 5 days periodically each month. Maybe be easier for some to do on an ongoing basis, but requires big lifestyle changes. May improve autophagy more than alternate methods. Contraindicated with some meds and conditions.

Promising Results From Medical Testing

In 2017 a randomized, controlled trial involving 100 patients was published in a peer reviewed journal showing that 71 patients who completed 3 cycles of the Fasting Mimicking Diet (5 days FMD each month for 3 months) was shown to improve the following:

• Fasting glucose
• IGF‐1/IGFBP1
• CRP (C- reactive protein) – marker of inflammation
• Stem Cells
• Body weight
• Avg. 5.7 lbs loss
• Reduced abdominal fat
• Reduced waist circumference
• Increased lean body mass
• Systolic and diastolic BP
• Total cholesterol
• Circadian Sleep Cycles
• Renewal of Cells
• Immune Balance
• Neuroendocrine homeostasis

Best methods of calorie restriction may be guided by patient preference, and continued studies may identify where one choice is superior or inferior, based on an individual’s specific health needs.

Additional Benefits

The Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) also showed to:

• Improve immunity, decrease autoimmune conditions
• Promotes hippocampal neurogenesis – good for memory and mood
• Improves cognitive performance
• Improved C‐reactive protein levels
• IGF‐1 insulin‐like growth factor‐1
• Promotes stem cells and regenerative markers
• Preserves bone density

With over 34% of U.S. adults possibly being classified as having a metabolic condition (and frequency increasing with age), it’s important to explore alternative diets and use what works for you. FMDs are ideal for a number of conditions. Metabolic health FMDs have been shown to have a positive impact on a number of important markers of metabolic health, including:

• Abdominal Obesity
• Cholesterol & Triglycerides
• Fasting Blood Sugar
• Systolic & Diastolic Blood Pressure
• C‐Reactive Protein

The Health Benefits of Autophagy

The Fasting Mimicking Diet incorporates and promotes autophagy, which is a natural and regulated degradation system (meaning literally “self-devouring”) which results in the body disassembling superfluous or dysfunctional cell components. The body digests internal unwanted and unneeded cellular components as a way of cleaning house, reducing inflammation, and improving the immune system in the process.

FMDs & Disease States

This information is not intended for distribution, more as information for our patients and readers to consider for themselves. This information has not yet been evaluated by the FDA currently. FMDs are not designed to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases, it’s merely a lifestyle change that can help serve as a catalyst to a healthier, happier life. Contact Rejuvé today if you’re interested in getting relaxed, refreshed, and renewed through non-surgical cosmetic and wellness services.