Fasting-mimicking diet reduces biological age measured by epigenetic clock

Researchers studied about 100 generally healthy adults who followed either a five-day fasting-mimicking diet each month for three months or their usual diet. This diet provides very few calories but some food, rather than requiring complete fasting. Blood tests measured epigenetic clocks, which estimate biological age using chemical patterns attached to DNA. The diet group’s estimated biological age fell by about 2.5 years compared with the control group. The study did not show that participants actually lived longer or avoided age-related diseases.

What this means for you: This is interesting but does not prove that the diet truly reverses aging. It is too early to buy a fasting-mimicking diet product for longevity, especially since the study was small and lasted only a few months.