The five-day reset diet that blasts belly fat and REVERSES ageing

Fasting involves abstaining from food, with research linking intermittent fasting - where you only eat between specific times or eat one meal a couple days a week - to health benefits like weight loss, improved heart health and lower blood sugar levels.

But let's face it - going without food for hours can be tough and some of us are just not made to do it in between working, childcare, socialising and busy lives.

Developed by rof Valter Longo, a biogerontologist and director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, the fast mimicking diet (FMD) aims to capture these benefits while still allowing you to eat.

The five day-eating plan is high in unsaturated fats and low in overall calories, protein, and carbohydrates and is designed to mimic the effects of a water-only fast while still providing necessary nutrients, USC scientists said.

It's made up of plant-based soups, energy bars, energy drinks, chip snacks, and tea portioned out for five days, as well as a supplement providing minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids.

People following it eat 1100 calories on day one and 800 calories on days two to five.

This combination drives the body into fasting mode, meaning you're using fat cells for fuel and using up old dead cells.

A hundred people aged 18 to 70 followed the eating plan for three or four months, eating normally for 25 days each month and eating FMD foods for five.

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Their results were compared to people who were instructed to eat either normal or Mediterranean style diets for the same amount of time.

According to USC scientists, those who followed the FMD diet reduced their biological age by an average of two and a half years.

'World's best new diet' reduces belly fat and 'slashes your risk of diabetes and stroke' - and you can still eat bread

"This study shows for the first time evidence for biological age reduction from two different clinical trials, accompanied by evidence of rejuvenation of metabolic and immune function," Prof Longo said.

FMD followers also appeared to slash their risk conditions like diabetes, as tests exhibited lower levels of insulin resistance.

'Biological age' describes well a person's cells and tissues are functioning, as opposed to how long you've been alive, which is your chronological age.

On top of this, magnetic resonance imaging showed that FMD participants had decreased belly fat and fat within their liver, which is associated with a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome.

They also had increased lymphoid-to-myeloid ratio, which is an indicator of a more youthful immune system.

Their findings were published on in the journal Nature Communications.

According to Prof Longo, fasting is effective at attacking belly fat without affecting lean muscle.

"On average the general population lose 5-6lbs of weight, mostly fat, after three cycles of a five-day FMD," he told The Telegraph.

"FMD can be excellent to control weight, especially because it does not require unwanted changes in the everyday diet, and it can be done when the person is ready to do it," he added.

Meanwhile, he said other diets can "cause loss of fats, water, sometimes lean muscle and bone density".

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Longevity experts have previously shared nutrient rich foods they eat daily to stave off infections, boost brain health and even help repair DNA.

And scientists from Harvard University said that eating whole grains, fruit, non-starchy vegetables, nuts and unsaturated oils can help add years to your life.

The fasting-mimicking diet (FND)

The fasting-mimicking diet (FND) was created by scientists at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology in California, USA.

It is high in 'healthy' unsaturated fats - found in foods like avocados, olives and peanuts - and low in overall calories, protein and carbohydrates.

It is designed to mimic the effects of a water-only fast, while still providing the necessary nutrients.

People generally stick to it for five days, then continue to eat 'normally' for the following 25 days. This cycle is then repeated.

On day one, it is recommended to consume about 1,010 calories.

This consists of 46 per cent fat, 43 per cent carbohydrates and 11 per cent protein.

On days two to five, this lowers to 717 calories, and 44 per cent fat, 47 percent carbohydrate and nine per cent protein for the others.

Recommended foods include:

• Vegetable-based soups (e.g. minestrone, tomato or mushroom)
• Energy bars (made from nuts like almonds, pecans and macadamia nuts)
• Fruity energy drinks (containing a 'proprietary glycerol mix')
• Snacks (e.g. kale crackers and olives from Spain)
• Caffeine-free herbal teas

A supplement providing high levels of minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids is also suggested.

The FND is said to promote "rejuvenation from within for healthy ageing".

Source: Nature Communications