The Longevity Diet: Discover the New Science Behind Stem Cell Activation and Regeneration to Slow Aging, Fight Disease, and Optimize Weight

by Valter Longo

A label that is now widely used by the media is “Intermittent Fasting.” I believe this represents a problematic direction because, like the “Mediterranean Diet” or “eating in moderation” it allows people to improvise and pick and choose periods of fasting that range from 12 hours to weeks, giving the impression that just because they all involve some period of “abstention from food” they are similar or equivalent and all provide health benefits. In fact, they have very different effects.

WHO MAY DO THE FMD Healthy adults in the normal weight range between the ages of eighteen and seventy years may undertake the FMD. A few genetic mutations, however, are incompatible with long-term fasting. If any side effects occur other than slight weakness, tiredness, or a headache, you should contact your doctor. Drink a small quantity of fruit juice for immediate relief.

WHO MAY NOT DO THE FMD Pregnant women. People who are underweight, have very low body mass index, or suffer from anorexia. People over the age of seventy, unless in superior health—and then only with a doctor’s approval. Anyone who is fragile. People with liver or kidney diseases. People affected by pathologies, unless they have the prior approval of their specialized doctor. In the case of serious or relatively serious illnesses (cancer, diabetes, or cardiovascular, autoimmune, or neurodegenerative diseases), it is important to seek permission and approval from a disease specialist as well as from a dietitian with expertise in the FMD or in therapeutic fasting. The use of the FMD for disease treatment should for the moment be limited to clinical trials unless the doctor determines that there are no other viable options and the patient cannot wait until the conclusion of appropriate clinical trials and FDA approval. Patients who take medication should not undertake the FMD without the approval of their doctor with input from a dietitian or doctor who specializes in the use of the FMD. Although it may be possible to combine the FMD with many drugs without side effects, the combination of the FMD and certain drugs could result in severe side effects. Patients who have low blood pressure or who are taking medication for hypertension should not undertake the FMD without the approval of a specialized doctor. Patients with rare genetic mutations that block the organism’s capacit...

OTHER WARNINGS The FMD can never be undertaken in association with insulin or medication that reduces sugar levels. The combination could be lethal. At the end of the FMD, the patient may still be sufficiently insulin-sensitive to have below normal levels of glucose in his or her blood. Because the use of the FMD on diabetic patients could be dangerous, we advise to do it only as part of a clinical trial. Information about upcoming clinical trials can be found on my Facebook page, @profvalterlongo. Do not combine the FMD with very hot and lengthy showers, especially during hot weather. There could be a risk of fainti...

HOW OFTEN TO UNDERTAKE THE FMD This is a decision that ideally should be made with input from a doctor or registered dietitian, but broad guidelines are as follows: Once a month for overweight or obese patients with at least two risk factors for diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular or neurodegenerative disease Once every two months for average-weight patients with at least two risk factors for diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular or neurodegenerative disease Once every three months for average-weight patients with at least one risk factor for diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular or neurodegenerative disease Once every four months for healthy patients with a normal diet who are not physically active Once every six months for healthy patients with an ideal diet (see chapter 4) who engage in regular physical activity

WHEN TO START THE FMD Many people decide to start FMD on a Sunday night so they can end the following Friday night. This decision is based purely on social considerations, allowing them to return to the transition diet on Friday night and to a normal diet on Saturday night.

PREPARATION For at least one week before the FMD, we recommend following the Longevity Diet, with 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day, preferably obtained from vegetables and fish. Multivitamin supplements of omega-3 should be taken at least twice during this preparatory week (see chapter 4).

SIDE EFFECTS Some people feel weak during parts of the FMD. Others say they feel more energetic. Some patients complain of light- or average-intensity headaches. This effect is usually greatly reduced by day 4 or 5, and eliminated entirely by the second or third FMD cycle. Most people feel hungry during the first few days of the FMD. This effect is greatly reduced by day 4 or 5 and on all days during the second or third FMD cycle. Some people suffer a slight backache that disappears once they resume a normal diet.

POSITIVE EFFECTS In addition to the production of stem cells, the reduction of abdominal fat, and lower levels of risk factors for various illnesses, many people report the following beneficial effects during or after FMD: Glowing skin, which many describe as “younger looking.” Stronger mental focus. An ability to resist bingeing once they resume a normal diet. Many reduce their consumption of sugar and calories, and are less prone to excess in their consumption of coffee, alcohol, desserts, etc.

What I proposed, and eventually called “differential stress resistance,” was based on the idea that if you starve an organism, it will go into a highly protected, nongrowth mode—this is “the shield.” But a cancer cell will disobey this order and continue growing even when it is starved, because the oncogene is stuck in an “always on” mode.

If you starve a cancer patient before injecting chemotherapy, normal cells will respond by putting up a defensive shield. But the cancer cells will ignore the command to kneel and thus remain vulnerable—providing a way to potentially eradicate cancer cells with minimal damage to normal cells.

virtually all the fasting mice were alive and moving around normally after high-dose chemotherapy. Mice on a normal diet, however, were sick and moving very little after chemotherapy. In the following weeks, 65 percent of the mice that did not fast died, whereas nearly all the fasted mice survived.

for two days a week during a six-month period, consumed only 500 to 600 calories of relatively high-protein foods. They lost abdominal fat and displayed improved insulin sensitivity and reduced blood pressure.

By causing many damaged and old cells in different systems to die or reset, FMD flushes out bad cells and spurs regeneration inside the cell (autophagy) as well as new cell production through stem cell activation. This leads to regeneration and rejuvenation.

While death in people undergoing a prolonged fasting period is rare, when it did occur, it was in several cases associated with insulin use. A few patients have died by combining fasting with an insulin injection, probably because insulin normally works poorly in diabetes patients, and fasting partially reverses this effect. The same insulin injection that normally decreases glucose to healthy levels in a diabetic patient can cause a much more precipitous drop in a diabetic patient who is fasting—resulting in hypoglycemic shock and, in some cases, death. Similar albeit reduced dangers apply to the use of the fasting-mimicking diet.

The following are my guidelines for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease: PREVENTION Follow the Longevity Diet (chapter 4) and the exercise guidelines (chapter 5). Undergo periodic fasting-mimicking diets. For very healthy individuals with no cardiovascular-disease risk factors, we recommend FMD once every six months. For those overweight with multiple risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, including a family history of heart disease or stroke, we recommend FMD once a month until normal weight is achieved, then it can be reduced according to the guidelines in chapter

TREATMENT The best and safest strategy is to talk to your cardiologist about taking components of the Esselstyn, Ornish, Walford, and Longevity diets and combining them with new information emerging from clinical and epidemiological studies discussed in this chapter. For more specifics on all the below guidelines, see chapter 4. No: red meat, poultry, or other meats (excluding fish) No: dairy Yes: fish Yes: large amounts of vegetables (best if organic) Yes: legumes, including beans, lentils, garbanzo beans, peas (best if organic) Yes: whole grains, including pasta and bread, but less than 100 grams per day Yes: fruits, but only one or two a day (e.g., one apple or orange, two handfuls of blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries) Yes: olive oil (about 80 grams per day) Yes: nuts (about 30 grams a day of walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts) Limit all eating to eleven to twelve hours a day (e.g., between 8 a.m. and 7 or 8 p.m. only). Limit meals to twice a day plus a low-sugar, high-fiber snack with fewer than 100 calories, if you are above BMI 25. Limit sugar to less than 10 grams per day. Eat approximately 0.31 to 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. If you weigh 130 pounds, that comes to about 40 to 47 grams of protein per day, of which 30 grams should be consumed in a single meal to maximize muscle synthesis. Exercise as directed in chapter 5. The diet I propose differs from the Ornish diet in that it allows high levels of fat from fish, olive oil, and nut...

Diet can also affect the immune system by altering the bacteria population in the gut, which in turn regulates many different immune cells. It’s well established that the Western diet can have inflammatory, negative effects on the types of microbiota occupying the human gut.

Eventually, it will be possible to connect a person’s DNA (the genome) to the food he or she should avoid eating to prevent autoimmune disorders or intolerances. For now, my best advice is to “eat at the table of your ancestors.”

THE LONGEVITY DIET Eat a mostly vegan diet with some fish: Strive for a 100 percent plant- and fish-based diet, but limit fish consumption to two or three meals a week and avoid fish with high mercury content. After age sixty-five to seventy, if you start losing muscle mass, strength, and weight, add more fish and fruit and introduce animal-based foods like eggs, cheese, and yogurt made from sheep’s or goat’s milk. Consume low but sufficient proteins: Consume approximately 0.31 to 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. If you weigh 100 pounds, that is about 31 to 36 grams of protein per day, of which 30 grams should be consumed in a single meal to maximize muscle synthesis. If you weigh 200 pounds and have 35 percent body fat, 60 grams of protein per day are instead sufficient, considering that it is the lean body mass that utilizes most of the proteins. Protein intake should be raised slightly after age sixty-five to seventy in individuals who are losing weight and muscle. Minimize bad fats and sugars, and maximize good fats and complex carbs: The diet should be rich in “good” unsaturated fats, including those from salmon, almonds, and walnuts, but very poor in “bad” saturated, hydrogenated, and trans fats. Likewise, the diet should be rich in complex carbohydrates, such as those provided by whole bread and vegetables, but poor in sugars and limited in pasta, rice, white bread, fruit juices, and fruits containing carbohydrates that are easily converted in...

Walk fast one hour per day. Take the stairs instead of escalators and elevators, even if you have to go up many flights. On the weekend, try to walk, even to faraway places, but avoid polluted areas. Do moderate exercise for 2.5 hours a week, some of it in the vigorous range. Do weight training or weight-free exercises to strengthen muscles

(combined with 30 grams of protein intake following the weight training).

In the absence of strong scientific data, I surmise that staying close to family members and friends, belonging to religious or spiritual organizations, and volunteering to help others are all important to a long and healthy life. However, I have also seen many lonely people live long and healthy lives, probably because they focus on simple pleasures and obtain strength from their own instincts and ability to find happiness in little things—eating certain foods, walking in the park, talking to the cashier at the local grocery store.

Making it to 110 in good health, in my father’s case, is less about social connections and great friendships and more about simple things, like that long-forbidden chocolate bar.