The Longevity Diet
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Valter Longo |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Diet |
| Publisher | Penguin Random House |
Publication date | January 1, 2018 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 317 |
| ISBN | 978-1405933940 |
| 613 | |
| LC Class | RA776.75 |
| Website | The Longevity Diet |
The Longevity Diet is a 2018 book by Italian biogerontologist Valter Longo. The subject of the book is fasting and longevity. The book advocates a fasting mimicking diet (FMD) coupled with a low protein, plant based diet. The book advises people about how to have a longer lifespan and healthspan through fasting and diet.
Background
Valter Longo, a PhD in biochemistry and director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, invented the fasting mimicking diet.[1][2] Longo has said, "Using epidemiology and clinical trials, we put all the research together..." The diet calls for an emphasis on consuming fatty fish, and seafood, together with fasting, timing and food quantity.[3]
Synopsis
In the book, Longo says one should alter one's diet to avoid illness in old age.[1] He advises dieters start the diet with a five-day fasting mimicking diet (FMD), which calls for a vegan diet with calorie restriction from 800 and 1,100 calories per day. After the initial five-day period, Longo advises dieters should eat within a 12-hour window each day.[3] The fast-mimicking diet was pioneered by Valter Longo.[4] The book calls for the five-day, calorie restriction FMD to occur twice per year.[5] Before turning 65 the diet calls for minimal protein, and mostly plant-based diet augmented with calorie-restriction.[6]
Reception
The book is an international bestseller, has been translated into more than 15 languages, and is sold in more than 20 countries.[7] Writing for Red Pen Reviews, Hilary Bethancourt stated the diet might be difficult and expensive to follow. In addition there is limited research on the long-term effects of the diet. Bethancourt goes on to say that the book gives advice about how to have a longer lifespan and healthspan through the practice of following a five-day fasting-mimicking diet and by choosing what to eat, how much to eat, and how often to eat.[8]
Reviewing the book for Glam Adelaide James Murphy stated: "Longo's radical claims have not been accepted entirely yet by the medical establishment" and the book has "too much discussion of his thwarted ambitions to be a rock star".[9]
References
- ^ a b "The Health Care 50: Valter Longo The Fasting Evangelist". Time Magazine. 18 October 2018. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ Belman, Orli (18 April 2019). "Eat less, live longer? The science of fasting and longevity". Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ a b Barrie, Leslie (6 October 2022). "What Is the Longevity Diet? A Detailed Scientific Guide". Everyday Health. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ Howley, Elaine K. (2 February 2023). "What Is a Fast-Mimicking Diet, and How Does It Work?". U.S. News & World Report L.P. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ de Bertodano, Helena (27 January 2018). "Eat less, live longer: the diet that holds the key to staying young". Times Newspapers Limited. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ Anderson, James. "How Diet May Improve Sexual Health If You Have an Autoimmune Disease". Giddy. Giddy. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ Koop, Katy (26 January 2023). "Dr. Valter Longo: Can a Fasting Diet Prevent Alzheimer's?". Being Patient. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ Bethancourt, Hilary (13 February 2019). "The Longevity Diet: Discover the New Science Behind Stem Cell Activation and Regeneration to Slow Aging, Fight Disease, and Optimize Weight". Red Pen Reviews. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ Murphy, James (6 July 2018). "Book Review: The Longevity Diet by Professor Valter Longo PhD". Glam Adelaide. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2023.