Watch the video
X Watch the video on youtubeIntroduction
The following article focuses on the project of Professor Valter Longo, director of the department of gerontology of the University of California.
The broad media emphasis given to the alleged benefits of this diet does not find sufficient scientific confirmation (see the chapter "Negative aspects and critical issues").
Food and Longevity
For almost two centuries, modern medical science has been searching for the correlation between nutrition and an increase in health and life expectancy.
In addition to the well-known research on the Mediterranean Diet by Ancel Keys (continued by various scholars), the testimonies on the beneficial effect of food are many.
Generally, Italian centenarians follow a diet based on pasta, legumes, vegetables, fruit and extra virgin olive oil.
The oldest person in the world (updated in October 2016) is Emma Morano, 116, Italian from Verbania (a town on the shores of Lake Maggiore). The lady consumes mainly pasta, rice, semolina and vegetable soups.
However, it is the island of Okinawa (south of Japan) that holds the absolute record for quantity of ultra centenary inhabitants in full form. Here we mainly eat vegetables, algae, goya, tofu, fish (very raw, even large-sized like tuna) and very little meat. Another very important aspect that characterizes the food style of the inhabitants of this Japanese island is caloric moderation ; in this regard, a famous local saying suggests eating about 80% of the food needed to feel full.
On the other hand, before Professor Longo, several researchers have achieved important results, in terms of increased longevity of laboratory animals, by adopting the principle of caloric restriction; the late Professor Veronesi and the European Institute of Oncology in Milan suggest partial fasting and calorie restriction as pillars of the " anti-aging diet ".
Research and Results
Proteins and Longevity
It is known to the whole scientific community that super-long-lived populations - such as those of Okinawa, Loma Linda (USA - Los Angeles), Sardinia, Calabria, Costa Rica and Greece - tend to have a mainly vegetarian diet, supplemented with little fish, even less meat and generally characterized by protein levels.
Laron and Longevity syndrome
The study began with the observation of subjects suffering from Laron Syndrome, that is people genetically lacking receptors for the somatotropic hormone (GH or somatotropin). This Ecuadorian population, although growing very little, has a very low risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
What has caught Longo's interest is the type of diet and lifestyle of these people, who eat mainly fried food and practice smoking and alcoholism assiduously.
After a few decades of monitoring, only one of them died of cancer and the others did not develop any chronic pathology. All deaths occurred due to natural causes at the age of 80 (very high in the geographical area).
In summary, the longevity of the Larons would be due to the lack of effect of somatotropin.
Experiment on Guinea pigs with Laron Syndrome
In the laboratory, for the same diet, the guinea pigs selected with Laron syndrome compared to the normal ones have shown:
- 50% lower morbidity due to cancer and chronic conditions.
- A 40% longer life.
- Greater conservation of cognitive functions.
After this revelation, the researcher tried to recreate the same metabolic-hormonal situation in healthy people.
In healthy people, a natural method to influence GH hormone release is nutrition; specifically, this result can be obtained by decreasing the proteins of animal origin.
Protein, Growth Hormone and Longevity
The release of growth hormone is also regulated by the amount of dietary protein.
As anticipated, increasing the intake of animal proteins can lead to increased levels of somatotropic hormone.
Applying the mimic fasting diet on normal guinea pigs there would be a reduction in GH levels and a greater "purification" of the cell population (understood as the production of new cells and the elimination of damaged ones).
Mima Diet Fasting System
Adopting the fasting diet periodically would help to "reset the body" by eliminating the negative effects of the growth hormone present in excess.
It seems that by fasting for short periods, instead of suffering, the body becomes stronger by eliminating the main sources of disease.
The method is called Diet Mima Fasting and would allow you to feed yourself while maintaining the same effects of fasting on water only.
Alleged Effects of the Mima Diet Fasting
- Cell protection and rejuvenation.
- Cell rejuvenation.
- Elimination and replacement of damaged cells.
The effects would affect all tissues and systems: immune, muscular, hepatic, nervous, etc.
Effects on Multiple Sclerosis
The cancer cells are affected by the diet mimic fasting; however, beneficial effects have also been observed on multiple sclerosis (autoimmune etiology).
In fact, in a study by Longo carried out on mice, every cycle of fasting diet was able to destroy a harmful autoimmune component, replacing it with a physiological one.
On 50% of the mice a strong decrease in the symptoms of multiple sclerosis was observed and in 20% a complete regression of these symptoms.
Effects on Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases, on Cancer and on Aging
On a clinical study (19 humans), the fasting diet caused a significant reduction in risk factors:
- Cardiovascular.
- For type 2 diabetes mellitus.
- For aging.
- For cancer.
In mice, the fasting diet was responsible for:
- Increase in life in health conditions equal to 11%.
- Tumor decrease by almost 50%.
- Halving of inflammation factors.
- Improvement of cognitive functions.
Rules
Based on the results, prof. Longo has studied a diet that can bring back the same benefits even in respect of contemporary western rhythms.
The rules of the fasting diet are:
- In the ordinary diet, consume predominantly vegetable-derived proteins at the expense of those from meat and cheese. These would activate the genes that promote growth, aging and sometimes degeneration (up to cancer). NB. Fish proteins do not seem to be equally harmful, statistically fish consumption is not frequently associated with the onset of chronic diseases and tumors.
- Check that you are fit for the fasting diet: the fasting diet carries out a series of quite radical effects (reduction and expansion of tissues and organs, for example the liver and muscles).
Not everyone is able to tolerate it and for some individuals it can be dangerous. It is absolutely not recommended for insulin-dependent diabetics, for any patient without a doctor's consent, for patients suffering from anorexia, for those who are underweight, for those who are growing up; the most suitable age range is between 20 and 70 years. Before starting, we need to evaluate:
- Weight and Body Mass Index.
- Blood pressure.
- Body temperature.
- Glycemia.
- Lipaemia.
- Hematocrit.
- Sideremia etc.
- Periodically (from 30 days to 4 months, depending on the subject), follow 5 days of programmed feeding: Dr. Longo has collected in a box all the foods to be consumed over the period of time in question. The kit is commercially available thanks to the distribution of Elnutra. However, it is possible to reproduce the diet at home level by managing the foods available on the market.
An average Italian in normal weight who respects (more or less) the criteria of the Mediterranean diet can perform a mimic fasting cycle every 3-4 months (3-4 times a year).
An obese subject suffering from metabolic disorders (hyperglycemia, hyperlipemias, hypertension) could apply to the fasting diet even once a month.
While taking advantage of the Elnutra kit, it is advisable to contact a food professional who follows and assesses the course of the fasting diet.
It is inadvisable to prolong the fasting diet beyond the indicated period or at too short intervals; the effects could be, in some respects, diametrically opposed (deterioration, damage to internal organs, aggravation of anorexia, etc.).
Example
The fasting diet lasts 5 days, in which the energy intake progressively goes down from day 1 (1.000kcal) to day 5.
Foods are exclusively of vegetable origin and mainly contain carbohydrates and a few unsaturated fats.
Quoting the official source of the system:
"The caloric scheme requires that on the first day about 1000 kcal are taken, divided between 34% of carbohydrates, 56% of fats and 10% of proteins.
In the following 4 days it comes down to 750 kcal, divided between 47% of carbohydrates, 44% of fats and 9% of proteins.
A super simplified example of the regimen to be kept for 4 days at 750 kcal could be: 400 g of courgettes, 300 g of red cap, 300 g of carrot, 250 g of onion, 20g of extra virgin olive oil and 20 g of nuts. "
Diet Mima Fasting and Chemotherapy
It seems that the diet mimics fasting has a beneficial effect even during chemotherapy.
Dr. Longo has found that in mice by applying mimic fasting it is possible to reduce the progression of the tumor until it stops.
These effects, obtained by fasting or miming a fasting diet, have been observed in breast cancer, melanoma and neuroblastoma.
Furthermore, a reduction in the side effects of chemotherapy was observed; this would have for the "strengthening" of the normal cells simultaneously with the attack of the drugs towards the sick ones.
The interesting aspect is that fasting would push to reinforce only healthy cells, not sick ones that instead "disobey" not protecting themselves and easily entering apoptosis ("suicide").
These hypotheses have not yet been confirmed in humans; the only published study is limited to ascertaining the safety of a "water-only" fast before (24h) and after (48h) cisplatin-based infusion chemotherapy, with timid evidence of a possible reduction in side effects; however, in the study in question there is no comparison with a group of "normal diet" patients, which severely limits the actual extent of this alleged benefit.
Diet Mima Fasting and Body Weight
Dr. Longo's studies are not limited to the metabolic impact of the fasting diet, but also investigate the effects on weight.
Still on guinea pigs, giving the same energy for two days to two groups of mice, he differentiated two groups as follows:
- Group 1: identical calories for 30 days.
- Group 2: identical but higher calories from the previous group for 25 days, after which they followed a 5-day fasting diet.
The effects of the experimental group were:
- Reduction of visceral fat.
- Preservation of muscle mass.
- Reduction of errors in cognitive tests.
Benefits
The potential benefits of the mimic fasting diet (observed on mice and still being tested on humans) are:
- 50% reduction for cancer risk.
- Postponement of the age potentially at risk of illness and increase in the period of health.
- Percentage increase in benign tumors compared to malignant ones.
Also, people who have already tried the fasting diet have found:
- Weight reduction up to 2kg, most of which can be attributed to the content of visceral adipose tissue *.
- Increase in ketone bodies: index of metabolic use of fats *.
- Reduction of the inflammatory blood marker CPR (C reactive protein).
- 50% reduction of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1 stimulated by GH) *.
Following the restoration of the customary diet the values tend to normalize. However, after at least 3 fasting diet cycles, the parameters are on average lower (although not comparable to those observed at the end of the cycles).
Negative Aspects and Criticality
Absence of Scientific Support
The main critical points on the Mima Digiuno Diet concern the small number of scientific studies supporting the boasted benefits.
Many articles and television broadcasts give the health benefits of this dietary pattern in humans to be taken for granted, when in fact sufficient scientific confirmation is lacking .
Longo initially studied the effects of the mimic fasting diet on yeasts ( S. cerevisiae ), subsequently obtaining confirmation in laboratory guinea pigs. However, currently (October 2016), there is only one published clinical study (on humans), with only 38 subjects enrolled (of which 19 were controlled on a normal diet and 19 underwent 3 cycles of mimic fasting diet). Analyzing the study in question there are potential gaps in the choice of the sample, which - although well represented by age and sex - seems rather vague regarding the weight of the subjects enrolled and the related cardiovascular risk factors. These are not subtleties, but very important aspects to understand on what kind of population the benefits mentioned above would be valid (eg if they only concern overweight subjects or even normal-weight subjects).
An even more serious gap is the absence of a control group subjected to an identical diet for caloric intake but "normal" for composition (for example Mediterranean or very rich in animal proteins, given that the latter are thus demonized by the fasting diet). If this comparison had been made, probably similar results would have been obtained in the two groups; in fact, logic and experience suggest that the caloric restriction itself (and the consequent weight loss) is far more important than the diet composition. In this regard, there is no lack of scientific studies that indicate that diets with high protein content but low in calories are associated with an improvement in cardiovascular risk and longevity. For example, a study on the Fulani - nomad ethnicity of West Africa - which follows a diet low in calories but rich in animal proteins and saturated fats and an active lifestyle - has highlighted a lipid profile indicative of a low risk of cardiovascular diseases . The same Longo in a 2014 study highlights how a high protein diet - although it is deleterious for subjects aged between 50-64 years, it would instead be associated with a reduction in the incidence of cancer and overall mortality per subject over the age of 65.
Business aspects
The fact that the diet includes the use of special commercial products ("pre-packaged meals" kit) raises further doubts about the impartiality of the alleged media magnification - and all to prove! - benefits of this diet.
Based on these arguments, it is legitimate to ask whether any form of commercial speculation is hidden behind all this promotional emphasis.
Potential negative aspects
The negative aspects of the fasting diet are certainly related to applicability.
Hunger, stomach cramps, weakness, fatigue, irritability, dehydration (unless proper attention is paid to drinks) and general malaise may accompany the entire therapeutic period.
Statistically, it seems that most practitioners complain of a reduction in side effects on the third day, especially as regards mental performance (the effect of ketone suppressing bodies on hunger); nevertheless, muscle fitness and motor skills are heavily affected.
As anticipated, some "beneficial" effects can prove to be a double-edged sword:
- First of all, the weight loss is partly due to dehydration and the depletion of muscle and liver glycogen reserves. This means that despite being generally beneficial, the fasting diet is also debilitating. It must NOT be applied in the case of intense sporting activity.
- Secondly, the increase in ketone bodies is attributable to a condition of hypoglycemia and lipid oxidation. Potentially toxic, these compounds are the result of a compromised / incomplete cellular metabolism (due to the lack of glucose). The brain only works "with sugars" (it is NOT able to oxidize fats), but it can use ketone bodies, even if in limited quantities. The excess of ketone bodies creates dehydration, renal and hepatic fatigue, inhibition of physiological stimuli and poor mental efficiency (further worsened by hypoglycemia).
- GH (consequently IGF-1) participates in the growth and turnover of all tissues in the body. Its effects are entirely physiological and should not be considered negative; just think that the GH peak occurs during the period of physical development at a young age, when chronic diseases and tumors are statistically more rare.
Furthermore, somatotropin is continuously (even if "illegally") used as an anti-aging molecule; the positive effects on tissue rejuvenation are evident, although they can create side effects.
The fact remains that the excess of foods of animal origin seems by now quite clearly correlated to the increase of some metabolic and tumor pathologies; this correlation is particularly valid for preserved meat products, ie those salted, dried, fermented, smoked and / or treated with preservatives to improve flavor or preservation (see details on red meat).
However, the correlation between these foods, the somatotropic hormone and IGF-1, and the diseases discussed in the article do not yet seem completely clear.
