A New Year Reset with the Fasting-Mimicking Diet

Everyone is talking about anti-aging and anti-cancer therapies these days. They’re looking for a quick fix.
 
But what if I told you that there IS a way that has been shown to boost stem cells and recycle aging, inefficient cells in order to improve your metabolism?
 
What if there were an easy treatment that could lower your risk for cancer, promote weight loss, and help repair your gut?
 
What if there was a known method of reducing inflammation, a major culprit in gut disease, autoimmune issues, cancers, and resistant weight loss? What if you could do that, while also boosting your body’s metabolism and energy?
 
What if this treatment were FREE? I’m talking about fasting. Another way to get the benefits of fasting, while still being able to eat some food, is the fasting-mimicking diet (FMD).
 
Today, I want to do a brief overview of some of the new research about fasting-mimicking diets and how they can change the course of your health.

The FMD Improves Gut Health

We’ve talked before about how too much bad bacteria in your gut (dysbiosis), inflammation, and poor digestion can be related to almost every chronic illness. Well, one way you can reset your gut bacteria microbiome is with a fasting-mimicking diet. Research is clear that fasting actually helps reset gut bacteria, decrease toxicity in your gut, and reduce inflammation.
 

The FMD Improves Liver Function

Your liver needs time to rest, so it can focus on filtering your blood. Giving it that rest via fasting has a massive boost on liver function and health. This can contribute to many health benefits including lowered cholesterol and cardiovascular disease risk.
 

The FMD Improves Cell Senescence

In the anti-aging world, cell senescence is all the rage. The idea here is that, in aging and illness, your cells get stuck in a growth phase that causes inflammation. We see this not only in chronic illnesses, but also in traumatic brain injuries. New research is showing that peptide therapy can help the body break down these stuck, or senescent cells. But fasting, including the FMD, accomplishes this as well!
 
Fasting actually stresses your cells so that they move from a sugar-based metabolism, to a glycogen-based metabolism, and then to a fat-based metabolism. This results in cells that are more resilient. Fasting promotes the recycling of the stuck cells so that they die off and are replaced with healthy cells.

The FMD Can Improve Cognitive Function

The FMD also boosts your brain function. During a fast, your body switches to making ketones, which is the brain’s preferred source of energy. At night, if the brain is using ketones while you’re sleeping, it also can do a better job of detoxifying.
 
In Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, beta-amyloid protein, alpha-synuclein, and other proteins build up in the brain. During fasting, ketone production induces the removal of this toxic protein build-up.
 

The FMD Induces Stem Cell Production

You may have heard about new therapies using stem cells to regenerate the pancreas in diabetes patients. New stem cell therapies are also being used to help children with life-threatening illnesses. They are even being used in anti-aging therapies.
 
Guess what else boosts stem cells? Fasting – including the fasting-mimicking diet!
 

The FMD May Slow Aging

I’ll leave you with one last interesting fact. In animal models, the FMD has been shown to extend the lifespan of rats up to 50%. Now we don’t have that kind of research in humans, because it’s not ethical. But it is promising and very hopeful to see this powerful effect in animal models.
 

Summary

If you’re interested in trying out the fasting-mimicking diet, I would caution you to talk with your doctor first, especially if you are on medication or have underlying health conditions. For most people, the fasting-mimicking diet is a safe and easy way to reap a whole host of health benefits.
 
Fasting is an incredibly powerful anti-aging and anti-inflammatory tool that can correct multiple issues in your gut, your immune system, your brain, and potentially many more systems in the body.
 
If you’re interested in doing this for yourself, check out our Coach’s Corner post to learn how you can create your own DIY fasting mimicking diet with real food, based on your food preferences. And keep an eye on Instagram and Facebook in January for some encouragement and tips in case you want to fast along with some of our team. It might be the right time for you to use the fasting-mimicking diet as a beneficial health reset for this year and the years to come.
 
Wishing a happy and healthy 2023 to you and your family from RIFM!
 
Since 2010, Richmond Integrative and Functional Medicine has been helping people to restore their health and hope with an integrative approach to conventional and alternative medicine that’s entirely science-backed. We at RIFM believe everyone is made for health. We offer a comprehensive, in-person patient membership program to ensure you get access to the care you need to thrive.