Does fasting lengthen life in humans like it does in mice?
Saying “fast” is like saying “eat”: it means nothing if we do not specify the person and their circumstances; Fasting kills the anorexic; saves an obese person or leaves someone healthy the same. And today it is fashion that as such does not interest me.
It's another polarizing concept.
And my specialty, because I earned my doctorate in Molecular Biology 30 years ago and I have dedicated them to studying nutrition and longevity.
Does what you eat determine how long you live?
And I have not only verified this in clinical studies, but also in centenarians around the world.
What do centenarians teach us?
That you don't reach 100 without fully living an active and excited life and that includes, of course, eating well to live it.
But if you eat less do you live longer or not?
In this I differ from my mentor, Roy Walford, who locked himself in a bubble in the Arizona desert in 1991, Biosphere 2, to demonstrate that fasting lengthens existence.
How much fasting is that fasting?
If we talk about calorie restriction, it means that each person subtracts a quarter of the calories they need to maintain the weight that is considered normal. If you need 2,000 calories a day, you only eat 1,500.
Would we live longer and better this way?
Today we know that is not so; Eating less in itself is not the best way to live longer and better...
So what lengthens life and improves it?
What is relevant is not only how much we eat but what we eat; And there are no universal diets for everyone, because each person's age, activity and even the season of the year we are in determine what healthy foods are and in what quantity they are optimal.
Have you experienced it?
Yes, and numerous studies prove it: the most recent and solid one is that of Norwegian colleagues published in Plus Medicine.
You're not going to repeat the Mediterranean diet thing to me now... are you?
Well yes, but only in part. Until she is 20 years old she is the best; But let's clarify: in older people, a corrected Mediterranean diet is better.
As?
Legumes, for example, are, according to the study, the healthiest food.
And the worst?
Red meat.
That's not news.
What is surprising, however, about the study is that fruit is neither good nor bad.
Wasn't it central to the Mediterranean diet?
The best would be a modified Mediterranean diet, because to live longer and better is not about eating less, but about modulating the level of certain amino acids in the diet by increasing our regular intake of legumes, fish and nuts.
What is observed when increasing it?
Better muscle building, bone density and vital energy. But the diet also depends on the age, activity and circumstances of each person.
How complicated!
The diet is the same as ourselves, which is why the corrected Mediterranean diet must also be personalized, because many of us suffer from allergies and intolerances.
Don't you have some recommendations that can be generalized?
The best is the Mediterranean pescovegano diet: fish three times a week, low mercury; and many legumes and vegetables; One piece of fruit is enough each day; olive oil, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts... And everything as least prepared, packaged, preserved as possible; In short, as organic as possible.
The best schedules and habits?
Eat all your meals during the 12 hours of the day and leave 12 hours between dinner and breakfast.
Why shouldn't I fast more than 12 hours?
Today many will tell you to fast 18; But having an empty stomach for so many hours each day we know that it does not contribute to your longevity.
In Spain it is common to have dinner at 10 p.m.
Well, have breakfast at 10 in the morning, but don't skip breakfast 12 hours after dinner.
Because?
Because the body interprets this restriction as a lack of available food and goes into savings mode – it has been proven – and burns fewer reserves to save them.
It makes evolutionary sense.
That's why I have a good breakfast, a little lunch and a little more dinner, and then fast for 12 hours.
Is it good to skip dinner?
It costs much more than skipping lunch, because dinner is a time for relaxation and socialization. I also practice mini-fasting or light calorie restriction two or three times a year.
Because?
I call it going into summer or winter mode, because humans, like all mammals, accumulate fat in the summer to survive the winter and that calorie restriction helps keep it healthy.
Do we burn more calories in summer?
We accumulate for the winter, it is pure evolution. That's why this mini-fast helps the body change modes.
