Fasting-Mimicking Diet for Health & Longevity - Quick Reference Sheet
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Fasting-Mimicking Diet for Health & Longevity

Created on 08/31/2026 – Quick Reference based on Evidence Review created using AI4L / Opus 5 – Audit

A short, repeatable five-day plan, not a continuous way of eating. Most consistent effects: lower body weight and abdominal fat, lower blood sugar and blood pressure, less fat in the liver; largest in people starting with the worst readings. Findings on blood fats are mixed. Ageing claims rest on animal work. One commercial developer funded much of the evidence. (Full Review)

Protocol

Standard five-day cycle
~1,100 kcal day 1; 725–800 kcal days 2–5
Plant-based, protein near 10% of energy and fat 44–55%. Rations distributed across the waking day rather than compressed.
Cycle frequency
3–12 monthly cycles
Three monthly cycles in healthy adults, twelve in type 2 diabetes, three in Crohn's disease; maintenance every three to six months.
Refeeding day
Day 6 transition
Soups, vegetables and modest complex carbohydrate before normal eating resumes. Boxed kit or macronutrient-matched recipes.
Time to effect
Weight, liver fat, blood sugar
Three cycles
Weight, liver fat and average blood sugar changes reported in trials required three cycles.
Medication reduction
Twelve months
The reduction in glucose-lowering medication required twelve months of monthly cycles.
Ketone rise, glucose fall
36–48 hours
Appear within a single cycle; ketones peak on days four to five and return to baseline 24–48 hours after refeeding.

Benefits

Contraindications
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding
  • Body mass index below 18.5, or documented sarcopenia or frailty
  • Current or past eating disorder
  • Type 1 diabetes, or type 2 diabetes managed with insulin or a sulfonylurea without physician supervision
  • Chronic kidney disease at stage 4 or worse (eGFR below 30 mL/min/1.73 m²)
  • Active cancer with weight loss or cachexia, outside a supervised trial
  • Age under 18 or over 75 without individual clinical assessment
  • Liver impairment at Child-Pugh Class C, or heart failure at New York Heart Association Class IV
  • Recent myocardial infarction or stroke (<90 days)
    •
Key Interactions
  • SGLT2 inhibitors: empagliflozin, dapagliflozin, canagliflozin
  • Antihypertensives: lisinopril, amlodipine, hydrochlorothiazide
  • Metformin
  • Levothyroxine and narrow-therapeutic-index drugs: warfarin, lithium, digoxin
  • Over-the-counter NSAIDs: ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin
  • Over-the-counter caffeine and stimulant preparations
  • Glucose-lowering supplements: berberine, chromium picolinate, alpha-lipoic acid, cinnamon extract
  • Blood-pressure-lowering supplements: beetroot nitrate, magnesium, potassium, hibiscus, omega-3
  • GLP-1 receptor agonists: semaglutide, tirzepatide
  • Endurance and resistance training
    •

Risk & Side Effects

  • High: Transient fatigue, weakness and headache; gastrointestinal symptoms and hunger
  • Medium:
  • Low: Loss of fat-free mass; hypoglycaemia in people taking insulin or sulfonylureas; symptomatic low blood pressure and light-headedness; gallstone formation with repeated rapid weight loss; trigger or worsening of disordered eating
  • Speculative: Blunted immune response to infection during the diet window

Monitoring

Marker Target Why
Fasting glucose 75–86 mg/dL (4.2–4.8 mmol/L) Primary responsive marker; falls within 48 hours
HbA1c 4.8–5.3% Average blood sugar over ~3 months; the endpoint with pooled trial evidence
Fasting insulin 2–5 µIU/mL Detects insulin resistance earlier than glucose
hs-CRP <1.0 mg/L Tracks body-wide inflammation, which falls with visceral fat
IGF-1 Mid-normal for age (~100–160 ng/mL at 40–70 years) Insulin-like growth factor 1, the growth signal the diet is designed to lower
Triglycerides <80 mg/dL Tracks liver fat and carbohydrate handling
LDL-C <100 mg/dL The main artery-damaging cholesterol fraction
ALT <25 U/L (men), <20 U/L (women) Liver enzyme that tracks liver fat, the outcome with the strongest trial signal
eGFR >90 mL/min/1.73 m² Screens for the kidney impairment that contraindicates cycling
Potassium and sodium Potassium 4.0–4.5 mmol/L; sodium 138–142 mmol/L Detects the depletion that drives headache, cramp and light-headedness
Beta-hydroxybutyrate 0.5–2.0 mmol/L on days 3–5 Confirms the intended metabolic switch actually occurred
Appendicular lean mass (DEXA) No established target for this diet; tracked as change from the individual's own baseline The contested fat-free-mass outcome; the only way to settle it individually
Blood pressure <120/80 mmHg seated Both a benefit endpoint and the source of the orthostatic risk
25-hydroxyvitamin D 40–60 ng/mL Low status compounds fatigue and bone loss over repeated cycles

Cadence: Baseline panel before the first cycle; repeated after the third cycle, then every six months while cycling continues. Blood pressure before and after each cycle in anyone taking antihypertensive medication; capillary glucose twice daily during the diet days in anyone on glucose-lowering medication.

Qualitative Assessment

  • Energy and fatigue on days two to four, and how quickly they resolve after refeeding
  • Sleep continuity on diet nights compared with normal nights
  • Hunger intensity and whether refeeding tips into compensatory overeating
  • Cognitive clarity and tolerance for demanding work during the cycle
  • Grip strength and perceived training performance in the week after each cycle
  • Mood, irritability and stress tolerance across the cycle
  • Gastrointestinal comfort, including constipation during and after the diet days
  • Waist circumference measured at the same point after each third cycle
Not medical advice. Educational distillation of a single evidence review. Confirm any decision with a qualified clinician, especially in the presence of prescription drugs or chronic conditions.