What is the longevity diet - will it actually lengthen your life

Life And Health

You may have heard of the longevity diet and its claim that it can lengthen life expectancy, but what precisely is it and how is it unique from other diets that aim to improve health?

The head of the University of Southern California's Longevity Institute, Valter Longo, developed the longevity diet, a list of dietary suggestions. He is renowned for his work on the importance of fasting, how foods affect your genes and how this may affect how old you get and how likely you are to get sick.


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Its claim that it can lengthen life expectancy, Life And Health,  What is the longevity diet, diets that aim to improve health.



The longevity diet is advised for both young and old, however it has been designed with older folks in mind. Longo has stated that he will stick to this diet to live to 120.


What then does the diet entail?

Vegetables, including leafy greens, fruit, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and mercury-free seafood are all included in this diet.

So the longevity diet primarily consists of plant-based foods.
Generally speaking, plant-based diets are higher in vitamins and minerals, dietary fibre, antioxidants, and sodium and saturated fat, all of which have positive health effects.

A surplus of meat and dairy products, as well as foods heavy in processed sugar and saturated fats, are also discouraged.


The longevity diet advises including fermented dairy in your diet, such as cheese and yoghurt, because it has a larger microbiome (good bacteria) than milk.

Also read: HUMAN body And Glucose sugar

Have you ever heard of this diet?

This may be a dietary pattern that a lot of you are familiar with. It is comparable to the Mediterranean diet, particularly as both emphasise the use of olive oil. A substantial amount of research supports the Mediterranean diet's claims that it improves health, lowers the risk of disease, and lengthens life.


The longevity diet is comparable to numerous national, scientifically supported dietary recommendations, including Australia's.


The Australian Dietary Guidelines advocate eating two-thirds of your meals from plant-based sources (cereals, grains, legumes, beans, fruits, vegetables).The recommendations also list plant-based protein and dairy substitutes, including dried beans, lentils, and tofu (such as soy-based milks, yoghurts and cheeses, so long as they are supplemented with calcium).

Alternate-day fasting

The defined fasting intervals, also referred to as intermittent fasting, are another component of the longevity diet. The diet recommends eating every 12 hours and abstaining from food three to four hours before bedtime.

Intermittent fasting often involves a 16–20 hour fast with a four–8 hour interval for eating. The 5:2 diet is another alternative for intermittent fasting, which involves consuming only 2,000–3,000 kilocalories on two days of the week while eating regularly on the other five.

According to the data, intermittent fasting may improve insulin resistance, which results in better blood glucose regulation.
Your risk of type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses like heart disease and obesity can be decreased as a result.

Keep a healthy weight.

According to the longevity diet, overweight persons should only consume two low-sugar meals each day—breakfast and either a midday or an evening meal. This is an effort to lower calorie intake in order to lose weight.

Reduced snacking, particularly of foods high in saturated fat, salt, or sugar, is a key component of this advice. These are the items we often refer to as ultra-processed or discretionary foods. These have poor nutritional value and, occasionally, have negative health effects.

Consume everything in sight.

The longevity diet advises consuming foods high in nutrients, as do the majority of national dietary recommendations. This entails eating a varied diet that is high in plant-based foods and items from each food group.


Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is advised since each colour contains a different set of nutrients. The best nutritional research supports the suggestion to choose a variety of wholegrains over processed cereals, breads, pasta, and rice.

Limit your protein intake.

This diet suggests keeping your daily protein consumption at 0.68 to 0.80 grammes per kilogramme of body weight. A 70 kg person needs between 47 and 56g of protein per day.
Two tiny eggs, 30g of cheese, 40g of lean chicken, 250ml of dairy milk, 3/4 cup of lentils, 120g of tofu, 60g of almonds, or 300ml of soy milk all have about 10g of protein each. This follows the advice of the administration.

This amount of protein is easily absorbed by the majority of Australians. However, the longevity diet is intended for the elderly, who are less likely to achieve their protein requirements.

The majority of the protein in the longevity diet is advised to come from fish or plant sources. If red meat isn't a part of the diet, then specific planning may be necessary to ensure that all the nutrients are included.


Is this diet problematic in any way?

Every three to four days, this diet suggests taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement. According to Longo, this prevents malnutrition and won't result in any nutritional issues.
The World Cancer Research Fund, the British Heart Foundation, and the American Heart Association all advise against taking supplements to prevent cancer or heart disease, among other health organisations.


Only take supplements on your doctor's recommendation and only if a blood test reveals a nutrient deficiency. This is due to the possibility that some vitamins and minerals in large doses could be dangerous.


You are meeting your nutrient needs if you eat a range of meals from all food categories, so you shouldn't need supplements.




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