The Prolon fasting-mimicking diet is the newest form of the ancient practice of fasting. New research states that it may decrease your biological age by 2.5 years, help with autoimmune conditions, improve your gut microbiome and fight cancer. But what exactly is it?
There are several ways to “fast,” some forms of fasting exclude food for certain hours in a day, while others eliminate food completely. The Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD), also known as the Prolon diet, provides a new option. It is an approach to fasting that effectively tricks your body into thinking it is fasting while allowing some food intake. A fasting-mimicking diet aims to reap the benefits of fasting while minimizing the challenging parts of fasting, such as hunger, fatigue, and headaches.
Does it sound too good to be true? Solid science is behind the claims, and more studies are in progress. Let’s look into the Prolon fasting-mimicking diet and what the research says so far.
*Dr. Burkhart does not work for Prolon. This is an independently written article.
What Is A Fasting Mimicking Diet?
A fasting-mimicking diet is a low-calorie, not a no-calorie, eating plan.
The fasting-mimicking diet is a specifically formulated 5-day program designed to mimic a 5-day water fast while providing nutrients and calories. The diet ( it is real food) is meant to provide the benefits of fasting while minimizing adverse side effects associated with fasting, such as fatigue and headaches. The ProLon meal kit is currently the only fasting-mimicking diet program on the market*.
This may sound impossible, but the diet is based on years of scientific research receiving millions of dollars in NIH funding and is currently the subject of over 50 ongoing clinical trials.
But how do you eat and fast at the same time? Read on for an explanation.
How Does It Work?
How can you eat and fast at the same time?
Dr. Valter Longo is at the forefront of the research on fasting-mimicking diets, with over 20 years of research and publications on fasting and longevity. He is the pioneer/developer of the fasting-mimicking diet.
Dr. Longo and his team at The University of Southern California have been working with pathways in the body called “nutrient-sensing pathways.”
These pathways control autophagy, a “housecleaning” of our body’s cells. Autophagy is constantly going on in the body. It is the clean-up crew for all the processes in our body’s cells. Think of it as the garbage truck, removing unwanted byproducts of cell activity. Every minute of the day, cells work and produce waste. All this work makes “junk” that needs to be cleaned up. In comes the autophagy crew. Dr. Longo’s team created a scientifically formulated diet that increases the “housecleaning” (autophagy) in your body’s cells. This is the” ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet.”
The cells in the body do everything to keep us alive, such as breathing and making energy. The more clean-up that happens, the better you feel and the less risk there is of health problems occurring in the future. The FMD speeds up autophagy (more clean-up). More autophagy is a good thing. Autophagy helps eliminate “bad” cells in the body that cause disease and promote aging.
The nutrient-sensing pathways are also involved in which genes get turned on, which can affect what health conditions you develop or do not develop.
The nutrient-sensing pathways are also involved in epigenetic expression. Epigenetics is the study of how your genes are affected by the environment, i.e., why one person gets a disease, but the other person with the same gene does not. Think of it as a trigger that turns a gene to turn on or off.
This is important. Why does one person with a particular gene get an autoimmune disease or have trouble controlling weight when the other person does not? Epigenetics looks at the reasons why this happens. Could the FMD/periods of fasting affect what genes are expressed? That is a question yet to be answered.
Amy Burkhart MD RD
What do you eat on a fasting-mimicking diet?
The ProLon meal kit is plant-based and includes all foods needed on the 5-day plan.
The 5-day plan consists of meals and snacks, exclusively eating only foods from the provided kit. On the first day, the intake is approximately 1,100 calories, featuring plant-based protein, healthy fats, and low-carbohydrate sources. The mail-order FMD kit, accessible without a prescription, is delivered to your door and includes vegetable soups, bars, crackers, olives, and herbal teas.
Designed to be repeated once a month for at least three months, the plan aims to enhance autophagy/house cleaning through its impact on nutrient-sensing pathways. Days two through five involve similar foods to day one but in reduced quantities, with a daily goal of around 725 calories. These calories are purposefully selected and formulated to support the desired autophagic effects. Because of this, a “do it yourself” version of the diet is not equivalent. Simply restricting calories from the day does not achieve the same results. This is why so much research is being done on this specific diet kit/plan.
Amy Burkhart MD RD
How long is the fasting-mimicking diet?
It is a five-day program.
The ProLon research group recommends the 5-day plan for their fasting-mimicking diet once a month for three months. Most of the research on the FMD is based on this 3 month protocol. The objective is to have autophagy (clean out old and damaged cells) while preserving muscle mass.
Prolon recommends repeating the diet every 1-6 months to maintain benefits.
They now offer a one-day reset kit that can be used a maximum of two times a week for maintenance, not while on the 5-day program.
How much does the ProLon Kit cost?
The 5-day Prolon meal kit is available here.
The ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet is the only fasting-mimicking diet meal program undergoing clinical trials. The ProLon kit includes all food needed for the 5-day plan. The cost per kit varies depending on how many kits are purchased. The research is based on a kit that is used once a month for three months. Kits can be purchased individually or in bundles of 3 or 4 (bigger discount). You can see the pricing and/or purchase at the button below. Pricing via the button is at a 20% discount (significant savings) on all Prolon products. Additional cost-saving tips are found here. The discount at the button below is reusable for repeat purchases.
Fasting Mimicking Diet Vs. Intermittent Fasting
It is different than intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting and FMD are not the same.
Intermittent fasting involves having periods of the day without food consumption. Various intermittent fasting protocols exist, with the 16:8 method being the most common. In this approach, individuals abstain from consuming any calories for 16 consecutive hours, opting for calorie-free beverages like water or plain tea. The remaining 8-hour window is dedicated to eating, focusing on healthy food choices without the need for calorie counting. Flexibility is allowed in choosing the 16 and 8-hour windows, but continuity is key, requiring a continuous 16-hour fasting period.
Additional intermittent fasting schedules include the 5:2 method, where two days per week involve complete fasting, with only water or calorie-free beverages like tea permitted.
In contrast, the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) uses specific foods that avoid triggering pathways in the body that take it out of a fasting state. Unlike traditional fasting, FMD does not adhere to specific timing or fasting windows.
For more information: See a list of intermittent fasting protocols here.
Amy Burkhart MD RD
Research On The Fasting Mimicking Diet
Click these links to see the completed research and ongoing research. Currently, many projects are in progress looking at the effects of FMD on conditions such as autoimmunity, longevity, cancer, fertility, inflammation, weight loss and more.
Below is a summary of research done for some common conditions.
Fasting Mimicking Diet & Aging
A 2024 study in Nature showed incredible results on the FMD’s diet effect on aging. Three rounds of the FMD lowered the biological age by 2 1/2 years compared to the actual age. More studies are needed but it may get us one step closer to a fountain of youth.
Fasting Mimicking Diet & Weight Loss
A large randomized trial* compared FMD with typical calorie restriction. Both approaches achieved comparable weight loss and improvements in risk factors for cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Both appeared equally beneficial for weight loss and disease risk reduction (1). *human study
Fasting-mimicking Diet & Multiple Sclerosis
All mice had improved symptoms, and 20 percent of mice with MS had complete resolution of symptoms. No meds, no side effects! The FMD reduced markers of inflammation and promoted a healthier gut microbiome. (2).
FMD & Parkinson’s Disease
In this animal study, the fasting-mimicking diet proved helpful for improving Parkinson’s disease symptoms and progression (3).
Alzheimer’s & FMD
The results of this animal study show that periodic protein restriction cycles protect against age-related changes ((3). A 2023 study on the FMD and Alzheimer’s showed improvement in cognitive function, biomarkers and well being in Alzheimer’s patients when using the FMD.
FMD & Diabetes
In this human study, FMD was found to help blood glucose control in type 2 diabetics (7)
Cancer & FMD
Can a fasting-mimicking diet help in the fight against cancer? That can’t be said yet, but early results are promising. One research study in mice found that a fasting-mimicking diet could reverse tumor growth. Yes, this is in mice, but wow! Couldn’t this be a fantastic addition to cancer therapy if it pans out in humans? A 2024 study on the FMD and CLL shows promising results for the most common leukemia in adults.
Other studies have looked into how fasting-mimicking diets might work on people with cancer, but they are still preliminary, and more research needs to be done before we can say for sure. See the bottom of this article for other studies on FMD and cancer.
Amy Burkhart MD RD
Key takeaways:
- The fasting-mimicking diet is a specific meal plan formulated to simulate the fasting state while providing nutrients and calories. It does this by finding a “sweet spot” in the body where the benefits of fasting still occur, and pathways that block the benefits of fasting are not activated.
- The fasting-mimicking diet is not the same as simply restricting daily calories.
- The FMD does appear to be equally effective as calorie restriction for weight loss. More studies are needed, of course.
- Several human trials are in progress using the fasting-mimicking diet for various health conditions.
- The diet has the potential to provide an alternative to more restrictive forms of fasting while reaping the benefits of fasting.
- The FMD aims for the benefits of fasting without common side effects of fasting, such as headaches, fatigue, and muscle loss.
- In my clinical experience with the FMD, I have seen patients have improvement in digestive and autoimmune conditions, energy levels, mood, inflammation, and sleep.
- If you are considering the fasting-mimicking diet, please consult a medical professional before you begin. Fasting is not appropriate for everyone. Learn here: who should not fast?
Podcast On Fasting Mimicking Diet
Listen here to a PODCAST on the fasting mimicking diet with Dr. Valter Longo.
Body Of Wonder Podcast Featuring Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Victoria Maizes
This is a fantastic podcast covering research-based topics in the field of integrative medicine.
Research Fasting Mimicking Diets ( not all-inclusive)
- Fasting Mimicking Diet and CLL (human study)
- Fasting Mimicking Diet And Aging ( animal study)
- Fasting Mimicking bar extends ketosis (human study)
- Fasting Mimicking Diet And Weight Loss (human research)
- Fasting Mimicking Diet And Metabolism (human research)
- FMD decreases inflammatory response in autoimmune disease (animal study)
- FMD improves response to breast cancer chemotherapy (human study)
- Fasting Enhances the Response of Glioma to Chemo- and Radiotherapy (animal study)
- Fasting-Mimicking Diet Modulates Microbiota and Promotes Intestinal Regeneration to Reduce Inflammatory Bowel Disease Pathology (animal study)
- Neuroprotection of Fasting Mimicking Diet on MPTP-Induced Parkinson’s Disease Mice via Gut Microbiota and Metabolites (animal study)