Fasting-mimicking diet
Five days of low-protein, low-sugar plant food that keeps the body in a fasting state
Vegetable soups, olives, nuts, bars and teas across five days, low in protein and sugar, most of the calories coming from plant fat. The trick is that the body reads it as a fast while food keeps arriving. A USC lab designed it. ProLon sells the boxed version, and some people build their own from groceries instead. Cycles sit months apart rather than back to back. Published trials have looked at markers such as blood glucose, blood pressure and body fat rather than at how long anyone lives, and the guidance around the program puts a doctor in the loop for anyone with a health problem.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Valter LongoRecommends
Biogerontologist · The Longevity Diet
Five days at a time, twice a year for someone healthy and more often for people carrying high glucose or blood pressure, is the schedule he gave Blue Zones. He is open about owning the thing he is describing: he started the company behind the boxed version, and says he put his shares into a nonprofit he set up.
Source: Blue Zones: Fasting for Longevity: 9 Questions for Dr. Valter D. Longo“I committed all my shares in L-Nutra to a nonprofit organization that I started called Create Cures, so we could continue to research and learn about fasting.”
Blue Zones: Fasting for Longevity: 9 Questions for Dr. Valter D. Longo (opens in a new tab)
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under longevity.
- Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Resistance training
Lifting weights 2-4 times a week to build and hold muscle
Backed by 41 of 54 stacks: 36 do it, 3 recommend it, 2 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Time-restricted eating
Confining food to a set window, often 8-10 hours a day
Backed by 21 of 54 stacks: 13 do it, 0 recommend it, 8 have discussed it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Protein-forward eating
Roughly 1g of protein per pound of target bodyweight, spread across meals
Backed by 19 of 54 stacks: 15 do it, 3 recommend it, 1 have discussed it - Protocol$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Sauna
Regular heat exposure, often 4 sessions a week at 20 minutes
Backed by 17 of 54 stacks: 11 do it, 3 recommend it, 3 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Zone 2 cardio
Easy aerobic work you can hold a conversation through, 3+ hours a week
Backed by 12 of 54 stacks: 5 do it, 5 recommend it, 2 have discussed it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Cycling
Steady riding, outdoors or on a stationary bike, as daily low-intensity cardio
Backed by 8 of 54 stacks: 8 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
Protocol entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.