Research

Hormonal

Fasting-mimicking diets (FMD) and periodic fasting provide healthspan benefits and rejuvenate systems (like hematopoietic and neural) by mimicking physiological responses to fasting without complete food deprivation.

You can achieve some of the regenerative benefits of fasting (like stem cell renewal) without starving yourself by using a Fasting-Mimicking Diet. This involves consuming very low calories and protein for specific periods, which triggers the body's stress response and regeneration pathways. This approach may be more feasible for people who find traditional fasting too difficult.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
A fasting-mimicking diet, consisting of very low calorie and protein that leads to similar physiological response to fasting... enhanced healthspan and rejuvenated the hematopoietic system while promoting adult neurogenesis.
Changhan Lee et al. · F1000Research · 2016

Why this rating

Evidence is primarily from model organisms and specific human trials (Brandhorst et al.), but less broad than CR.

Source

Dietary restriction with and without caloric restriction for healthy aging

Changhan Lee et al. · F1000Research · 2016

DOI 10.12688/f1000research.7136.1

narrative_reviewCited 170×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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