Five day fasting diet could slow down ageing - study

Academics have discovered a diet that could keep you feeling young. Photo / Thinkstock

A five-day diet which mimics fasting could slow down ageing, add years to life, boost the immune system and cut the risk of heart disease and cancer, scientists believe.

The plan, which restricts calories to between one third and a half of normal intake, has been developed by academics at the University of Southern California.

Last year the same team discovered that fasting can regenerate the immune system and they have now found that a calorie-restricted diet comprising vegetable soups and chamomile tea has the same effect. People only need to follow the diet for five days a month and can eat what they like for the rest of the time.

"Strict fasting is hard for people to stick to, and it can also be dangerous, so we developed a complex diet that triggers the same effects in the body," said Prof Valter Longo, director of the USC Longevity Institute.

When people tested out the regimen, within three months they had reduced biomarkers linked to ageing, diabetes, cancer and heart disease as well as cutting down body fat.

Despite its positive effects, Prof Longo cautioned against attempting the fasting mimicking diet without first consulting a doctor.

"Not everyone is healthy enough to fast for five days, and the health consequences can be severe for a few who do it improperly," he said.

The study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism and funded by the National Institute on Aging.