The fasting-mimicking diet (FMD)?How about Prolon FMD?

November 03, 2020

 The diet that mimics the effects of fasting (FMD)

In February 2017, a publication in a famous medical journal shows that a diet developed on the basis of the latest scientific knowledge has allowed the regeneration of new pancreatic cells instead of dysfunctional ones, allowing blood sugar stabilization in animal models. of diabetes. Thus, for the first time, a diet that mimics the effects of fasting seems to reverse the course of diabetes by reprogramming new pancreatic cells thus reducing the symptoms of type 2 diabetes but also type 1 diabetes in mice ( 2). This study was carried out by Prof. Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California. Longo and his team are currently researching pancreatic tissue from human donors with promising results. They have shown that fasting and FMD increase the expression of a protein (neurogenin-3) that promotes the production of healthy insulin-producing cells (2).

The same team has shown the health effects of this diet in other diseases. Thus a recent study from 2017 shows that FMD would reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes or heart disease. To arrive at these conclusions, the researchers included 100 participants in a study in which half ate normally and the other half ate an FMD diet of 5 days per month for 3 months. Participants who followed this diet had a significant reduction in their BMI (body mass index), blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides and C-reactive protein, all of these indicators representing risk factors for many diseases (3). Previous studies from 2016 had also shown that this diet had the potential to reduce autoimmunity processes as well as symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (in animal models) (4,5).

 What is this diet Prolon FMD made of?

Studies show that fasting for at least 4 days in water is necessary to stimulate repair processes and rejuvenate the immune system. Many people find it difficult to fast in water for 4 days or more, which is why Dr Longo has developed, based on scientific experiments, a 5-day diet that achieves most of the benefits of fasting while continuing to eat. Dr. Longo, for this, has developed a package of healthy foods made in the form of sachets, boxes, drinks, energy bars containing low-calorie foods low in protein and carbohydrates and high in good fats. The ingredients of this diet include foods studied to mimic the state of fasting such as vegetables, olives, seeds, oilseeds, dark chocolate, herbal teas, etc.

This diet brings about 770 to 1,100 calories per day. The name of this package is called ProLon and is available only in certain countries (USA, Italy, Australia). For designers, this diet is considered an important innovation in the field of nutri-technology. Joseph Anton of the L-Nutra company estimates that this is the first time in human history that we can eat food for 5 days while making our body believe that it is fasting, thus being able to activate all the protective and regenerative effects to improve health and slow down aging.

The question is, however, whether this is a real revolution or smart marketing. Indeed, we are not given a choice, we must buy the product if we want to try this diet. Personally, I prefer the freedom to use the raw foods that nature offers and I believe that it is possible to do a 5-day diet yourself that meets the criteria of a diet that mimics a fast. However, we do not have the knowledge to choose and cook natural foods for ourselves while being sure that we are getting a fasting-like diet. It is true that for modern men or women undergoing the frantic rhythms of our society, this type of package simplifies life a lot. For now, if we want to take advantage of the incredible virtues of fasting, we have the choice of fasting for at least 4 days, possibly doing regular intermittent fasting or doing the 5-day diet mimicking the fast developed by Dr. Longo.

References

  1. Mattson MP “Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes” Aging Res REv 2016 Oct 31

  2. Cheng CW “Fasting-Mimicking Diet Promotes Ngn3-Driven beta-cell regeneration to reverse diabetes” Cell 2017 Feb 23; 168 (5): 775-788

  3. Wei M “Fasting-mimicking diet and markers risk factors for aging, diabetes, cancer and cardio-vascular disease” SciTransl Med 2017 Feb 15; 9 (377)

  4. Choi IY “Mol Cell Endocrinol” Nutrition and fasting mimicking diets in the prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases and immunosenescence “Mol Cell Endocrinol 2017 Jan 28

  5. Choi IY “A diet mimicking fasting promotes regeneration and reduces autoimmunity and multiple sclerosis symptoms” Cell Rep 2016 Jun 7; 15 (10): 2136-46