Multi-day fasting
Going without food for two to five days, done rarely and usually with medical oversight
Water, electrolytes and nothing else for several days, well past the daily windows of time-restricted eating. Reports follow a pattern: two foggy days, then ketosis, steadier energy and sometimes an odd sharpness. Evidence for a longevity effect rests on animal studies and short human trials, so it remains contested, while the practical risks (dizziness, electrolyte trouble, refeeding too fast afterwards) are not in dispute. Rare. Anyone listed here who has done one had a physician watching.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Chris HemsworthDiscusses
Actor · Limitless and Centr
Did a four-day fast for the first Limitless episode filmed, alongside Peter Attia, who pushed for four days when he would normally cap a patient's first fast at three. He had never fasted before, and the show notes say the sharpness he expected only arrived on the afternoon of day four, out spearfishing.
Source: The Peter Attia Drive #234 show notes: Chris Hemsworth on Limitless, longevity, and happiness - Valter LongoDiscusses
Biogerontologist · The Longevity Diet
Water-only fasting belongs in a clinic, in his view. He built the five-day fasting-mimicking program because almost nobody in his early trials could manage water alone; they cheated, and told him it was simply too hard.
Source: Blue Zones: Fasting for Longevity: 9 Questions for Dr. Valter D. Longo
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under longevity.
- Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Resistance training
Lifting weights 2-4 times a week to build and hold muscle
On record from 43 of 62 tracked people: 37 do it, 4 recommend it, 2 have discussed it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Protein-forward eating
Roughly 1g of protein per pound of target bodyweight, spread across meals
On record from 21 of 62 tracked people: 15 do it, 5 recommend it, 1 has discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Time-restricted eating
Confining food to a set window, often 8-10 hours a day
On record from 21 of 62 tracked people: 13 do it, 8 have discussed it - Protocol$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Sauna
Regular heat exposure, often 4 sessions a week at 20 minutes
On record from 17 of 62 tracked people: 11 do it, 3 recommend it, 3 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Zone 2 cardio
Easy aerobic work you can hold a conversation through, 3+ hours a week
On record from 12 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 5 recommend it, 2 have discussed it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Cycling
Steady riding, outdoors or on a stationary bike, as daily low-intensity cardio
On record from 9 of 62 tracked people: 9 do 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.