25 Jun Trial of First Fasting Mimicking Diet Safely Improves Biomarkers of Aging

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Todd Morgan, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
L-Nutra, Inc
Culver City, CA 90232

Medical Research: What is the background for this study?

Dr. Longo: Despite health benefits, even short periods of fasting are difficult to maintain for most people, as it can lead to electrolyte abnormalities and malnutrition in at-risk individuals, such as the elderly. 
For over a decade the Longo lab at the University of Southern California has been studying effective approaches for achieving the beneficial effects of fasting while avoiding its shortcomings. We recently developed the first Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD). Put in simple terms, this five-day meal replacement regimen nourishes the organism while the body thinks it is fasting. We tested this FMD in mice and in a pilot randomized human trial with generally healthy subjects and found impressive results around health optimization.

Medical Research: What are the main findings?

Dr. Longo: In pre-clinical trials, we provided mice with bi-weekly Fasting Mimicking Diet cycles that resulted in multi-system regeneration, increased longevity (11.2% median life extension), lowered visceral fat, lowered cancer incidence, rejuvenated immune system, and improved cognitive functions.

The human clinical trial consisted of randomized cohorts who went through three cycles of this Fasting Mimicking Diet regimen (1 cycle per month for three months). The plant-based meal plan consisted of a variety of soups, bars, snacks, drinks and teas providing between 30-50% of normal calories. Subjects were not asked to change their lifestyle during the 25 remaining days of each month. Compliance was over 95% indicating that the Fasting Mimicking Diet regimen was safe, easy to follow and nourishing. Subjects who completed the 3-month trial showed remarkable, and long- lasting improvements in biomarkers/risk factors for aging, cancer, diabetes, and CVD.

Specifically, there was a 3% reduction in body weight that remained lower at the completion of the study. Trunk fat percentage, measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, showed a trend for reduction after 3 Fasting Mimicking Diet cycles and one week of normal dieting, while the lean body mass adjusted for body weight was increased after completion of 3 cycles, indicating that fat loss accounts for most of the weight loss. A complete metabolic panel indicated no persistent metabolic changes. Together with the self-reported Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, these results provide initial evidence that the periodic use of Fasting Mimicking Diet is generally safe and causes fat loss without reducing lean body mass.

Fasting blood glucose levels were reduced by 11% and remained 6% lower than baseline levels after resuming the normal diet following the third FMD cycle. Serum ketone bodies increased almost 4-fold at the end of the FMD regimen and returned to baseline levels following normal food intake. Circulating IGF-I, a marker associated with increased mortality in humans, was reduced by ~24 % by the end of the FMD period and remained ~15 % lower after resuming the normal diet.

The serum level of C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker of inflammation and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). CRP levels were reduced by the FMD cycles. Eight of the 19 FMD subjects had CRP levels in the moderate or high cardiovascular disease risk range (levels above 1.0 and 3 mg/L, respectively) at baseline. For 7 of them the levels returned to the normal range (levels below 1.0 mg/L), after 3 FMD cycles. For the 11 participants with CRP levels below 1.0 mg/L at baseline, no changes were observed at the completion of the trial. These results indicate that periodic FMD cycles promote anti-inflammatory effects and reduce at least one risk factor for CVD.

Although not significant, the percentage of mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells (MSPC), which have been shown to have embryonic-like features, in the peripheral blood mono-nucleated cell population showed a trend to increase from nearly 10-fold at the end of the FMD cycle, with a subsequent return to baseline levels after return to normal diet.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Longo: Our results indicate that FMD cycles induce long-lasting beneficial and/or rejuvenating effects in markers for diseases and regeneration in humans. Although the clinical results will require confirmation by a larger randomized trial, the effects of FMD cycles on biomarkers/risk factors for aging, cancer, diabetes, and CVD, coupled with the very high compliance to the diet and its safety, indicate that this periodic dietary strategy has

high potential to be effective in promoting human healthspan. Because prolonged FMD such as the one tested here are potent and broad-spectrum, they should only be considered for use under medical supervision.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Longo: We are currently analyzing results from a larger clinical trial on 70-80 subjects that includes additional end points to further support the efficacy of our periodic FMD approach. Ultimately, we envision FMDs getting FDA approval.

Citation:

A Periodic Diet that Mimics Fasting Promotes Multi-System Regeneration,
Enhanced Cognitive Performance, and Healthspan

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2015.05.012

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Todd Morgan, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, L-Nutra, Inc, & Culver City, CA 90232 (2015). Trial of First Fasting Mimicking Diet Safely Improves Biomarkers of Aging 

Last Updated on June 25, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD