4 ms·

Five-Day Fasting Diet Could Fight Disease, Slow Aging

12 points by M_Grey 10y ago

gwern 10y ago
The preliminary human trial and the animal experiments have been discussed on HN before: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9741137 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9741137 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8831739 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8831739 Fulltext: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ajmrgno9b38ncgi/2017-wei.pdf https://www.dropbox.com/s/ajmrgno9b38ncgi/2017-wei.pdf "Fasting-mimicking diet and markers/risk factors for aging, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease", Wei et al 2017: "Calorie restriction or changes in dietary composition can enhance healthy aging, but the inability of most subjects to adhere to chronic and extreme diets, as well as potentially adverse effects, limits their application. We randomized 100 generally healthy participants from the United States into two study arms and tested the effects of a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD)—low in calories, sugars, and protein but high in unsaturated fats—on markers/risk factors associated with aging and age-related diseases. We compared subjects who followed 3 months of an unrestricted diet to subjects who consumed the FMD for 5 consecutive days per month for 3 months. Three FMD cycles reduced body weight, trunk, and total body fat; lowered blood pressure; and decreased insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). No serious adverse effects were reported. After 3 months, control diet subjects were crossed over to the FMD program, resulting in a total of 71 subjects completing three FMD cycles. A post hoc analysis of subjects from both FMD arms showed that body mass index, blood pressure, fasting glucose, IGF-1, triglycerides, total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and C-reactive protein were more beneficially affected in participants at risk for disease than in subjects who were not at risk. Thus, cycles of a 5-day FMD are safe, feasible, and effective in reducing markers/risk factors for aging and age-related diseases. Larger studies in patients with diagnosed diseases or selected on the basis of risk factors are warranted to confirm the effect of the FMD on disease prevention and treatment."
- DrScump 10y ago
  "Calorie restriction or changes in dietary composition can enhance healthy aging, but the inability of most subjects to adhere to chronic and extreme diets, as well as potentially adverse effects, limits their application." Well, obviously, when they call fasting / keto / etc. "chronic and extreme" within earshot of potential subjects, and use scary warnings, compliance will suffer. Other result of note: "No serious adverse effects were reported."
qrbLPHiKpiux 10y ago
Dieting is hard because of the abundance of food.
- M_Grey 10y ago
  I've found that learning about food helps somewhat. When you learn that, for example, your favorite candy bar's filling is essentially whipped vegetable oil and sugar, it's a lot easier to pass on it.
- DrScump 10y ago
  The trick is teaching people to view food only as fuel, at least for long enough to give an alternate diet strategy an honest attempt.

12 points by M_Grey 10y ago

gwern 10y ago

The preliminary human trial and the animal experiments have been discussed on HN before: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9741137 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9741137 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8831739 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8831739 Fulltext: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ajmrgno9b38ncgi/2017-wei.pdf https://www.dropbox.com/s/ajmrgno9b38ncgi/2017-wei.pdf "Fasting-mimicking diet and markers/risk factors for aging, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease", Wei et al 2017: "Calorie restriction or changes in dietary composition can enhance healthy aging, but the inability of most subjects to adhere to chronic and extreme diets, as well as potentially adverse effects, limits their application. We randomized 100 generally healthy participants from the United States into two study arms and tested the effects of a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD)—low in calories, sugars, and protein but high in unsaturated fats—on markers/risk factors associated with aging and age-related diseases. We compared subjects who followed 3 months of an unrestricted diet to subjects who consumed the FMD for 5 consecutive days per month for 3 months. Three FMD cycles reduced body weight, trunk, and total body fat; lowered blood pressure; and decreased insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). No serious adverse effects were reported. After 3 months, control diet subjects were crossed over to the FMD program, resulting in a total of 71 subjects completing three FMD cycles. A post hoc analysis of subjects from both FMD arms showed that body mass index, blood pressure, fasting glucose, IGF-1, triglycerides, total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and C-reactive protein were more beneficially affected in participants at risk for disease than in subjects who were not at risk. Thus, cycles of a 5-day FMD are safe, feasible, and effective in reducing markers/risk factors for aging and age-related diseases. Larger studies in patients with diagnosed diseases or selected on the basis of risk factors are warranted to confirm the effect of the FMD on disease prevention and treatment."

DrScump 10y ago
"Calorie restriction or changes in dietary composition can enhance healthy aging, but the inability of most subjects to adhere to chronic and extreme diets, as well as potentially adverse effects, limits their application." Well, obviously, when they call fasting / keto / etc. "chronic and extreme" within earshot of potential subjects, and use scary warnings, compliance will suffer. Other result of note: "No serious adverse effects were reported."

qrbLPHiKpiux 10y ago

Dieting is hard because of the abundance of food.

M_Grey 10y ago
I've found that learning about food helps somewhat. When you learn that, for example, your favorite candy bar's filling is essentially whipped vegetable oil and sugar, it's a lot easier to pass on it.
DrScump 10y ago
The trick is teaching people to view food only as fuel, at least for long enough to give an alternate diet strategy an honest attempt.