Eliza Jenkins, 46, a mother of three with a stressful job as a solicitor, tried the “5-Day Cleanse” online programme (available at artah.co.uk) and says she felt surprisingly good on it. “I had a really surge of energy on day three, and even though it was months ago, now, I’ve felt more energetic ever since.” There were other benefits – half a stone of weight loss. “My skin felt and looked lovely and my digestion has really improved. I felt brilliant.”
The benefits of FMD over IF
We’re getting more used to the concept of fasting – specifically intermittent fasting (IF), such as the 5:2 diet, popularised by Dr Michael Mosley, or 16:8, where dieters restrict their eating to within an eight-hour window. In recent years, IF has become the fourth most popular diet plan in the UK, with 134,000 average monthly searches. It’s not just a fad: a systematic review of 40 studies found that intermittent fasting was effective for weight loss, with a typical loss of 7-11lbs over 10 weeks.
But proponents of the fasting mimicking diet say that it can achieve better results than IF alone, particularly for midlife women, who can often lead stressful lives and compound the stress with high-intensity workouts, which raise the body’s cortisol and lead to further inflammation. “Intermittent fasting can be a useful tool to help maintain or lose weight, support digestion and optimise energy when it’s done properly,” Stephenson says. “But from my experience, a large proportion of people who use IF also engage in other intense activities including things like high-intensity exercise, extreme work stress and dietary stress from socialising or going out – and they rely on IF as a magic bullet.”
Rather than intense exercise, Stephenson suggests walking and light yoga alongside the strict five-day diet. The idea is to support the body in the repair process. “This isn’t just about weight loss and calories in, calories out, you’re looking at cellular repair.”
Prof Longo adds: “We know [from research] that 16 hours or longer of daily fasting, particularly if they involve skipping breakfast, are associated with a shorter, not longer, lifespan and increased cardiovascular disease and other conditions. So, in my opinion people should consider two to four fasting mimicking diet cycles per year and fast for 12 hours per day, not 16.”
ProLon meal kits – which include dried soup blends, nut bars, pouches of olives, kale flax crackers, supplements and herbal teas – are made up of specific calorie counts and contain more than 70 different vitamins, but cost £199 for the five days (prolon.co.uk).
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
