For example, 3-consecutive days' diet records, including 2 weekdays and 1 weekend, should be analyzed throughout the studies. A more detailed analysis would help determine possible synergism between diet quality such as macronutrients, micronutrients, dietary pattern, food groups, supplements and herbs, the amount of processed food intake and the timing of meals and snacks.

To translate the recent advances in the IF and TRE research into practical applications, it would be worthwhile to incorporate the diet quality of what we eat with insights from the timing of when we eat it. Since the goal of studying TRE and IF is to provide precision nutrition recommendations, future directions should include studying the best timing window and diet composition and quality of diet, including the intakes of whole grain, plant-based diet, limiting ultra-processed food, and portion control.

Furthermore, the benefits of IF and TRE should be evaluated by RCTs in different populations, ethnic groups, ages, geographic differences, physical activity levels, body composition, BMI, and in patients with obesity, type 1 or type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease.

It is possible that individualized, tailored IF and TRE protocols may be adopted for personalized precision nutrition that increases compliance, tolerability, and sustainability to achieve optimal health outcomes.

The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers.

Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Patterson RE, Sears DD. Metabolic effects of intermittent fasting. Annu Rev Nutr. doi: PubMed Abstract CrossRef Full Text Google Scholar. Golbidi S, Daiber A, Korac B, Li H, Essop MF, Laher I.

Health benefits of fasting and caloric restriction. Curr Diab Rep. Halberg N, Henriksen M, Soderhamn N, Stallknecht B, Ploug T, Schjerling P, et al. Effect of intermittent fasting and refeeding on insulin action in healthy men.

J Appl Physiol. Harvie MN, Pegington M, Mattson MP, Frystyk J, Dillon B, Evans G, et al. The effects of intermittent or continuous energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers: a randomized trial in young overweight women.

Int J Obes. Capstick F, Brooks BA, Burns CM, Zilkens RR, Steinbeck KS, Yue DK. Very low calorie diet VLCD : a useful alternative in the treatment of the obese NIDDM patient. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. Mathus-Vliegen EM, Balance Study G. Long-term maintenance of weight loss with sibutramine in a GP setting following a specialist guided very-low-calorie diet: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study.

Eur J Clin Nutr. Kirkpatrick CF, Bolick JP, Kris-Etherton PM, Sikand G, Aspry KE, Soffer DE, et al. Review of current evidence and clinical recommendations on the effects of low-carbohydrate and very-low-carbohydrate including ketogenic diets for the management of body weight and other cardiometabolic risk factors: a scientific statement from the National Lipid Association Nutrition and Lifestyle Task Force.

J Clin Lipidol. Treatment of obesity in adults. Council on scientific affairs. CrossRef Full Text Google Scholar. Cheng FW, Garay JL, Handu D. Weight management interventions for adults with overweight or obesity: an evidence analysis center scoping review. J Acad Nutr Diet. Garvey WT, Mechanick JI, Brett EM, Garber AJ, Hurley DL, Jastreboff AM, et al.

Reviewers of the AACEOCPG: American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology Comprehensive Clinical Practice Guidelines for medical care of patients with obesity. Endocr Pract. Jensen MD, Ryan DH, Apovian CM, Ard JD, Comuzzie AG, Donato KA, et al. Keenan S, Cooke MB, Chen WS, Wu S, Belski R.

The effects of intermittent fasting and continuous energy restriction with exercise on cardiometabolic biomarkers, dietary compliance, and perceived hunger and mood: secondary outcomes of a randomised, controlled trial.

Patikorn C, Roubal K, Veettil SK, Chandran V, Pham T, Lee YY, et al. Intermittent fasting and obesity-related health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials.

JAMA Netw Open. Parr EB, Devlin BL, Hawley JA. Perspective: time-restricted eating-integrating the what with the when. Adv Nutr. Ratiner K, Shapiro H, Goldenberg K, Elinav E.

Time-limited diets and the gut microbiota in cardiometabolic disease. J Diabetes. Brandhorst S, Choi IY, Wei M, Cheng CW, Sedrakyan S, Navarrete G, et al.

A periodic diet that mimics fasting promotes multi-system regeneration, enhanced cognitive performance, and healthspan.

Cell Metab. Fanti M, Mishra A, Longo VD, Brandhorst S. Time-restricted eating, intermittent fasting, and fasting-mimicking diets in weight loss. Curr Obes Rep. Choi IY, Piccio L, Childress P, Bollman B, Ghosh A, Brandhorst S, et al. A diet mimicking fasting promotes regeneration and reduces autoimmunity and multiple sclerosis symptoms.

Cell Rep. Brandhorst S. Fasting and fasting-mimicking diets for chemotherapy augmentation. Salvadori G, Zanardi F, Iannelli F, Lobefaro R, Vernieri C, Longo VD.

Fasting-mimicking diet blocks triple-negative breast cancer and cancer stem cell escape. Caffa I, Spagnolo V, Vernieri C, Valdemarin F, Becherini P, Wei M, et al. Fasting-mimicking diet and hormone therapy induce breast cancer regression.

Vernieri C, Ligorio F, Zattarin E, Rivoltini L, de Braud F. Fasting-mimicking diet plus chemotherapy in breast cancer treatment. Nat Commun. Williamson DA, Bray GA, Ryan DH. de Cabo R, Mattson MP. Effects of intermittent fasting on health, aging, and disease.

N Engl J Med. Duregon E, Pomatto-Watson L, Bernier M, Price NL, de Cabo R. Intermittent fasting: from calories to time restriction. Parr EB, Devlin BL, Lim KHC, Moresi LNZ, Geils C, Brennan L, et al.

s Time-Restricted eating as a nutrition strategy for individuals with type 2 diabetes: a feasibility study. Corley BT, Carroll RW, Hall RM, Weatherall M, Parry-Strong A, Krebs JD. Intermittent fasting in type 2 diabetes mellitus and the risk of hypoglycaemia: a randomized controlled trial.

Diabet Med. Visioli F, Mucignat-Caretta C, Anile F, Panaite SA. Traditional and medical applications of fasting. Hartmann-Boyce J, Aveyard P, Piernas C, Koshiaris C, Velardo C, Salvi D, et al. Cognitive and behavioural strategies for weight management in overweight adults: results from the Oxford Food and Activity Behaviours OxFAB cohort study.

PLoS ONE. Kelley CP, Sbrocco G, Sbrocco T. Behavioral modification for the management of obesity. Prim Care. Teixeira PJ, Carraca EV, Marques MM, Rutter H, Oppert JM, De Bourdeaudhuij I, et al. Successful behavior change in obesity interventions in adults: a systematic review of self-regulation mediators.

BMC Med. Tikoo K, Tripathi DN, Kabra DG, Sharma V, Gaikwad AB. Intermittent fasting prevents the progression of type I diabetic nephropathy in rats and changes the expression of Sir2 and p FEBS Lett.

Liu H, Javaheri A, Godar RJ, Murphy J, Ma X, Rohatgi N, et al. Intermittent fasting preserves beta-cell mass in obesity-induced diabetes via the autophagy-lysosome pathway. Cheng CW, Adams GB, Perin L, Wei M, Zhou X, Lam BS, et al. Cell Stem Cell. Di Biase S, Lee C, Brandhorst S, Manes B, Buono R, Cheng CW, et al.

Fasting-mimicking diet reduces HO-1 to promote T cell-mediated tumor cytotoxicity. Cancer Cell. Long H, Panda S. Time-restricted feeding and circadian autophagy for long life.

Nat Rev Endocrinol. Chaix A, Manoogian ENC, Melkani GC, Panda S. Time-restricted eating to prevent and manage chronic metabolic diseases. Hatori M, Vollmers C, Zarrinpar A, DiTacchio L, Bushong EA, Gill S, et al. Time-restricted feeding without reducing caloric intake prevents metabolic diseases in mice fed a high-fat diet.

Mitchell SJ, Bernier M, Mattison JA, Aon MA, Kaiser TA, Anson RM, et al. Daily fasting improves health and survival in male mice independent of diet composition and calories. Gill S, Le HD, Melkani GC, Panda S.

Time-restricted feeding attenuates age-related cardiac decline in Drosophila. Panda S. Circadian physiology of metabolism. Chen S, Han R, Liu H. A bibliometric and visualization analysis of intermittent fasting. Front Public Health. Sutton EF, Beyl R, Early KS, Cefalu WT, Ravussin E, Peterson CM.

Early time-restricted feeding improves insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress even without weight loss in men with prediabetes. Trepanowski JF, Kroeger CM, Barnosky A, Klempel MC, Bhutani S, Hoddy KK, et al.

Effect of alternate-day fasting on weight loss, weight maintenance, and cardioprotection among metabolically healthy obese adults: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Intern Med. Varady KA, Bhutani S, Klempel MC, Kroeger CM, Trepanowski JF, Haus JM, et al.

Alternate day fasting for weight loss in normal weight and overweight subjects: a randomized controlled trial. Nutr J. Klempel MC, Kroeger CM, Varady KA. Alternate day fasting ADF with a high-fat diet produces similar weight loss and cardio-protection as ADF with a low-fat diet.

Jamshed H, Beyl RA, Della Manna DL, Yang ES, Ravussin E, Peterson CM. Early time-restricted feeding improves hour glucose levels and affects markers of the Circadian clock, aging, and autophagy in humans. Chow LS, Manoogian ENC, Alvear A, Fleischer JG, Thor H, Dietsche K, et al.

Time-restricted eating effects on body composition and metabolic measures in humans who are overweight: a feasibility study. Hutchison AT, Regmi P, Manoogian ENC, Fleischer JG, Wittert GA, Panda S, et al.

Time-restricted feeding improves glucose tolerance in men at risk for type 2 diabetes: a randomized crossover trial. Zeb F, Wu X, Chen L, Fatima S, Haq IU, Chen A, et al.

Effect of time-restricted feeding on metabolic risk and circadian rhythm associated with gut microbiome in healthy males. Br J Nutr. Lowe DA, Wu N, Rohdin-Bibby L, Moore AH, Kelly N, Liu YE, et al.

Effects of time-restricted eating on weight loss and other metabolic parameters in women and men with overweight and obesity: the TREAT randomized clinical trial. Schroder JD, Falqueto H, Manica A, Zanini D, de Oliveira T, de Sa CA, et al. Effects of time-restricted feeding in weight loss, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk in obese women.

J Transl Med. Anton SD, Lee SA, Donahoo WT, McLaren C, Manini T, Leeuwenburgh C, et al. The effects of time restricted feeding on overweight, older adults: a pilot study. Kesztyus D, Vorwieger E, Schonsteiner D, Gulich M, Kesztyus T. Applicability of time-restricted eating for the prevention of lifestyle-dependent diseases in a working population: results of a pilot study in a pre-post design.

Ger Med Sci. Kesztyus D, Cermak P, Gulich M, Kesztyus T. Adherence to time-restricted feeding and impact on abdominal obesity in primary care patients: results of a pilot study in a pre-post design. Wang X, Li Q, Liu Y, Jiang H, Chen W.

Intermittent fasting versus continuous energy-restricted diet for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome for glycemic control: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Trepanowski JF, Kroeger CM, Barnosky A, Klempel M, Bhutani S, Hoddy KK, et al. Effects of alternate-day fasting or daily calorie restriction on body composition, fat distribution, and circulating adipokines: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Clin Nutr. Cienfuegos S, Corapi S, Gabel K, Ezpeleta M, Kalam F, Lin S, et al. Effect of Intermittent fasting on reproductive hormone levels in females and males: a review of human trials.

Cienfuegos S, McStay M, Gabel K, Varady KA. Time restricted eating for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

J Physiol. Park SJ, Yang JW, Song YJ. The effect of four weeks dietary intervention with 8-hour time-restricted eating on body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors in young adults. Houstis N, Rosen ED, Lander ES. Reactive oxygen species have a causal role in multiple forms of insulin resistance.

Rains JL, Jain SK. Oxidative stress, insulin signaling, and diabetes. Free Radic Biol Med. Anton SD, Moehl K, Donahoo WT, Marosi K, Lee SA, Mainous AG, et al.

Flipping the metabolic switch: understanding and applying the health benefits of fasting. Mattson MP, Longo VD, Harvie M. Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes. Ageing Res Rev. Ferreira-Marques M, Carvalho A, Cavadas C, Aveleira CA.

Weichhart T. mTOR as regulator of lifespan, aging, and cellular senescence: a mini-review. Cho AR, Moon JY, Kim S, An KY, Oh M, Jeon JY, et al. Effects of alternate day fasting and exercise on cholesterol metabolism in overweight or obese adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Catenacci VA, Pan Z, Ostendorf D, Brannon S, Gozansky WS, Mattson MP, et al. A randomized pilot study comparing zero-calorie alternate-day fasting to daily caloric restriction in adults with obesity. Parvaresh A, Razavi R, Abbasi B, Yaghoobloo K, Hassanzadeh A, Mohammadifard N, et al.

Modified alternate-day fasting vs. calorie restriction in the treatment of patients with metabolic syndrome: a randomized clinical trial. Complement Ther Med.

Razavi R, Parvaresh A, Abbasi B, Yaghoobloo K, Hassanzadeh A, Mohammadifard N, et al. The alternate-day fasting diet is a more effective approach than a calorie restriction diet on weight loss and hs-CRP levels.

Int J Vitam Nutr Res. Bhutani S, Klempel MC, Kroeger CM, Trepanowski JF, Varady KA. Alternate day fasting and endurance exercise combine to reduce body weight and favorably alter plasma lipids in obese humans. Fitzgerald KC, Bhargava P, Smith MD, Vizthum D, Henry-Barron B, Kornberg MD, et al.

Intermittent calorie restriction alters T cell subsets and metabolic markers in people with multiple sclerosis. Varady KA, Cienfuegos S, Ezpeleta M, Gabel K.

Clinical application of intermittent fasting for weight loss: progress and future directions. Overland J, Toth K, Gibson AA, Sainsbury A, Franklin J, Gauld A, et al.

The safety and efficacy of weight loss via intermittent fasting or standard daily energy restriction in adults with type 1 diabetes and overweight or obesity: a pilot study. Obesity Medicine. Carter S, Clifton PM, Keogh JB.

Effect of intermittent compared with continuous energy restricted diet on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized noninferiority trial. Liu D, Huang Y, Huang C, Yang S, Wei X, Zhang P, et al.

Calorie restriction with or without time-restricted eating in weight loss. Cioffi I, Evangelista A, Ponzo V, Ciccone G, Soldati L, Santarpia L, et al. Intermittent versus continuous energy restriction on weight loss and cardiometabolic outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Schubel R, Nattenmuller J, Sookthai D, Nonnenmacher T, Graf ME, Riedl L, et al. Effects of intermittent and continuous calorie restriction on body weight and metabolism over 50 wk: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. Cienfuegos S, Gabel K, Kalam F, Ezpeleta M, Wiseman E, Pavlou V, et al.

Effects of 4- and 6-h time-restricted feeding on weight and cardiometabolic health: a randomized controlled trial in adults with obesity. Gabel K, Hoddy KK, Haggerty N, Song J, Kroeger CM, Trepanowski JF, et al. Effects of 8-hour time restricted feeding on body weight and metabolic disease risk factors in obese adults: a pilot study.

Nutr Healthy Aging. Moro T, Tinsley G, Bianco A, Marcolin G, Pacelli QF, Battaglia G, et al. Moro T, Tinsley G, Pacelli FQ, Marcolin G, Bianco A, Paoli A. Twelve months of time-restricted eating and resistance training improves inflammatory markers and cardiometabolic risk factors.

On the final fast day, cellular renewal continues beyond day five with lasting results, including weight loss and improved mental clarity, focus, and energy.

Post-fast, your body weight might creep back up a little, but this is common and is not your body regaining fat but rather replenishing the water weight lost during fasting [ 4 ]. With the fasting mimicking diet, you can experience the same benefits as conventional prolonged fasting, including weight loss and protection against disease.

As the body switches to using fat reserves as its primary energy source, fat is burned through ketosis, causing weight loss while preserving muscle mass, as the body does not need to use protein in muscle for energy.

By the end of the five-day fast, users may see a reduction in body fat, a smaller waist circumference, improved systolic blood pressure, and metabolic health.

When used for three consecutive months, ProLon helped people lose on average 5 lbs and 1. Weight loss associated with fasting lowers the risk of obesity-related diseases , including diabetes and certain cancers. Additionally, the cellular renewal achieved through autophagy can protect against diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes [ 2 ].

Fasting may even have anti-aging effects and is thought to reduce your biological age — the age based on the health of your cells rather than the years you have lived, which can be affected by lifestyle choices.

Indeed, the Longo laboratory published key findings from randomized clinical trials proving that the fasting mimicking diet lowers the risk factors and markers of aging and age-related disease [ 7 ]. The fasting mimicking diet achieves the same benefits of fasting without fully restricting what you can eat and is easily adaptable to a busy lifestyle.

ProLon recommends fasting every month to unlock the full weight loss benefits of fasting and the best metabolic health. The fasting mimicking diet offers a promising approach to weight loss and overall health improvement.

Through its unique five-day fasting cycle, it provides a safe and controlled means to harness the benefits of fasting while minimizing potential risks. As with any dietary strategy, success lies in commitment and a mindful transition back to regular eating. The 5-day fasting mimicking diet is a dietary approach that involves a carefully designed five-day cycle of reduced calorie intake to mimic the effects of fasting while still providing essential nutrients.

On a fasting mimicking diet, you typically eat plant-based foods like soups, nuts, seeds, and specific low-calorie meals provided by the diet plan, while avoiding most animal products and high-calorie foods. The Ultimate NMN Guide Discover the groundbreaking secrets to longevity and vitality in our brand new NMN guide.

Enter you email address Required. News Investor Portal Lifestyle Videos. Search for: Search. More Contact Features. Home Supplements Self-testing Exercise Nutrition Tech Mental wellness Product reviews. Five-day fast: A guide to the fasting mimicking diet for weight loss Author: Laura Allison Published on: December 30, Last updated: January 31, Share this article:.

The information included in this article is for informational purposes only. The purpose of this webpage is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

Editor's choice. Popular articles. More like this. Find us here Subscribe to our newsletter. First Name Required. Last Name Required. Email Address Required.

It is an approach to fasting that effectively tricks your body into thinking it is fasting while allowing some food intake. A fasting-mimicking diet aims to reap the benefits of fasting while minimizing the challenging parts of fasting, such as hunger, fatigue, and headaches.

Sounds too good to be true? Solid science is behind the claims, and more studies are in progress. It is specifically designed it is real food to provide nutrients and calories while still fooling your body into thinking it is fasting.

Valter Longo is at the forefront of the research on fasting-mimicking diets. This is no fad diet. It is based on years of scientific research and is the subject of numerous ongoing studies.

Longo has over 20 years of experience researching and publishing papers on fasting and millions of dollars in NIH research funding. Autophagy is constantly going on in the body. It is the clean-up crew for all the processes in the cells of our body.

Think of it as the garbage truck, taking away unwanted byproducts of cell activity. Every minute of the day, cells work and produce waste in the process. In comes the autophagy crew. The cells in the body do everything to keep us alive such as breathing and making energy.

The more clean-up that happens, the better you feel and the less risk there is of health problems occurring in the future. The FMD speeds up autophagy more clean-up. More autophagy is a good thing. The nutrient-sensing pathways are also involved in epigenetic expression.

Epigenetics is how your genes are affected by the environment, i. This is important. Why does one person with a particular gene get an autoimmune disease or have trouble controlling weight when the other person does not?

Epigenetics looks at the reasons why this happens. That is a question yet to be answered. The diet is five days long. It is recommended to do the five-day plan once a month for three months to see optimal results.

Prolon recommends repeating the diet every months to maintain benefits. Important note: The fasting-mimicking diet is contraindicated during pregnancy, breastfeeding, in children, and anyone with a history of an eating disorder.

Other medical conditions may also prohibit its use. Anyone considering the fasting-mimicking diet should consult a medical professional before starting the five-day fast. The 5-day plan consists of both meals and snacks, exclusively eating only foods from the provided kit. On the first day, the intake is approximately 1, calories, featuring plant-based protein, healthy fats, and low-carbohydrate sources.

The mail-order FMD kit, accessible without a prescription, is delivered to your door and includes vegetable soups, bars, crackers, olives, and herbal teas.

Days two through five involve similar foods to day one but in reduced quantities, with a daily goal of around calories. These calories are purposefully selected and formulated to support the desired autophagic effects. The ProLon research group recommends a 5-day plan for their fasting-mimicking diet and not longer.

The objective is to have the autophagy benefits of cleaning out old and damaged cells while preserving muscle mass. The ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet is the only fasting-mimicking diet meal program that has gone through clinical trials.

The ProLon kit includes all of the dietary components needed for the 5-day plan. Intermittent fasting and FMD are not the same. Intermittent fasting means that there are periods of the day when no food is eaten.

There are different types of intermittent fasting protocols; the most common is called Fasting-mimicking diet participants showed a marked decrease in trunk fat mass — fat collected around the abdomen — compared to the Mediterranean group.

Researchers found that those in the Mediterranean diet group experienced a loss of lean muscle mass. Longo said.

After reviewing this study, Dr. Tadwalkar explained. Tadwalkar also commented that just over the last few weeks, he has had many patients concerned about certain diets leading to lowered lean body mass. However, Dr. Tadwalkar said while this study was able to delineate the short-term effects of the fasting-mimicking diet, having the longer-term effects observed over weeks, months, and years is required for better understanding.

MNT also spoke with Monique Richard , a registered dietitian nutritionist, owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, and national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition Dietetics, about this study. However, several intentional modifications can make significant changes over time. In this Special Feature, we look at the diets and other lifestyle habits that have been associated with a long and healthy life, and explain their….

The main aim of the DASH diet is to manage blood pressure, but it can also help people maintain their weight and boost their overall health. Find out…. Recent research suggests that following the Atlantic diet, which is similar to the Mediterranean diet, may help prevent metabolic syndrome and other….

A new study showed that a Mediterranean or MIND diet improved women's cognitive health during midlife. The study of twins found that those….

My podcast changed me Can 'biological race' explain disparities in health? Why Parkinson's research is zooming in on the gut Tools General Health Drugs A-Z Health Hubs Health Tools Find a Doctor BMI Calculators and Charts Blood Pressure Chart: Ranges and Guide Breast Cancer: Self-Examination Guide Sleep Calculator Quizzes RA Myths vs Facts Type 2 Diabetes: Managing Blood Sugar Ankylosing Spondylitis Pain: Fact or Fiction Connect About Medical News Today Who We Are Our Editorial Process Content Integrity Conscious Language Newsletters Sign Up Follow Us.

Medical News Today. Health Conditions Health Products Discover Tools Connect. What is a fasting-mimicking diet, and how does it benefit cardiovascular health? However, for the fast-mimicking diet, it is the other way around.

You do the eating only for two days and be in a calorie deficit for five days. Not to mention, this diet is associated with longevity. It is like tricking your cells into thinking they are not being fed. Moreover, the main idea is to feed your body with just enough calories to make it seem satiated but not full.

You must allow your body to enter gluconeogenesis, referring to the process that the body converts fat and other non-carbohydrates to glucose. Aside from its eating schedule in a week, the fast-mimicking diet depends on simple whole foods that are low in protein and sugars.

In fact, a typical day of a person following the FMD looks like this:. As mentioned, the fast-mimicking diet is only a type of intermittent fasting, but what makes them exactly different?

Meanwhile, intermittent fasting completely restricts you from consuming food within a period of time. The days when you are allowed to eat are called the eating window, in which you are free to eat whatever you want, whether you are following a fast-mimicking diet or intermittent fasting.

Although the fast-mimicking diet offers a wide range of health benefits, most especially in obesity prevention, intermittent fasting has much more to offer. Intermittent fasting does not allow you to indulge in food as you should be fasting for particular days, making it a healthier diet plan compared with the fast-mimicking diet, where you only reduce your calorie intake when you are not on the eating window.

Despite being a healthier option, intermittent fasting is not for everyone as fasting can be a lot to manage; hence, the fast-mimicking diet is more beginner-friendly [ 2 ].

For five days, you must eat very little in order to follow the rules of the fast-mimicking diet. It works by tricking the body into thinking it is fasting, but technically, it is not.

As your body perceives that it is fasting, it undergoes autophagy, which switches on a repair mode and cleans out damaged cells to keep the body functioning properly. In the earlier research on the fast-mimicking diet, animals were used as participants to understand the extent of FMD in weight management.

Through different animal studies, the fast-mimicking diet was found to be helpful in metabolism and lifespan.

In one human clinical trial, the effects of a fast-mimicking diet seem to be similar to the animal studies. The study was participated by one hundred healthy individuals who followed FMD five days a month for three months.

At the end of the study, the participants were found to lose weight and visceral fat and drop blood pressure, blood sugar, blood cholesterol and markers of inflammation [ 3 ].

Furthermore, another study conducted a large randomized trial that shows a fast-mimicking diet as an effective weight loss method with its typical calorie restrictions.

The participants were found to reduce weight and improve risk factors, including cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Additionally, it was found that the fast-mimicking diet can promote weight loss of about 6 pounds or 2.

The claim comes from research that compared two groups of people who completed three cycles of the fast-mimicking diet within three months. The fasting group was found to reduce belly fat compared with the control group [ 4 ]. The fast-mimicking diet has similar benefits to prolonged fasting.

Eventually, ketosis will occur, helping with weight loss and preserving muscle mass. Your body does not need to use your existing protein in muscles for energy while you are on a fast-mimicking diet, resulting in a reduction of fat and improvements in metabolic health.

The mentioned research above use healthy participants, so how about people who are already overweight or obese? Can the fast-mimicking diet help them as well?

The answer is partly yes. In a study conducted for 16 weeks with obese men as participants, the researchers found that intermittent fasting can provide around 47 percent more weight loss than continuous calorie restrictions.

Also, a very low-calorie diet can promote weight loss; however, if the fast-mimicking diet is much more effective compared with other diets or fasting methods for obesity is still a bit blurry. Following the studies about the fast-mimicking diet, scientists have further discovered that there is a drop in insulin-like growth factor, which refers to a biomarker for cancer growth.

There is also an increase in the activity of stem cell production that indicates the regeneration of healthy cells. The good news does not stop there, as the fast-mimicking diet is found to be helpful in improving the success of cancer chemotherapy and experiencing fewer side effects of radiation therapy for cancer patients [ 5 ].

However, note that the claim still needs more research, but the provocative data suggested looks promising. Specifically, the fast-mimicking diet may help patients with breast cancer by enhancing the quality of life and illness-related perceptions.

One major factor of cancer development is aging, as it changes the environment of cells, causing damage. Thus, ensuring to keep the cell environment healthy can decrease the incidence of cancer markers. In a study conducted to determine the effects of a fast-mimicking diet in post-surgery, the patients as participants were found to have higher emotional well-being scores and lower fatigue, nausea and insomnia symptoms compared with non-adherent participants on their regular diets.

Among the many studies conducted about the fast-mimicking diet, there is also a result that recurs over and over again, which is its ability to support a healthy brain. Initially, the animal studies found that mice experienced extended longevity, reduced visceral fat, lowered cancer incidence and skin lesions, rejuvenated immune system and delayed bone mineral density loss.

And, of course, there was a remarkable brain change detected when the mice followed the fast-mimicking diet for four consecutive days, twice a month [ 6 ]. Furthermore, another study has backed up the claim that the fast-mimicking diet is good for the brain.

The researchers used old mice as subjects, and they administered the fast-mimicking diet cycles among them.